Nostalgia
by Heaven's Dusk
Summary: After a night of drunken sex, Romano ends up pregnant with twins and Spain doesn't remember. Scared, Romano goes into hiding. After learning that Spain wasn't affected by his disappearance, he decides to become human once the children are born, and only a select few nations would remember. Years later, Spain meets a single father by the name of Lovino Vargas. *DISCONTINUED*
1. Prologue: Nine Months

Prologue

Romano was… terrified. Of course, that's not all that surprising considering the news he had just gotten. Anyone would be terrified, or at least shocked, to learn what he had just learned.

Lately, Romano hadn't been feeling well. He had been throwing up all the time and his back and stomach kept hurting. Not to mention he had been craving the strangest foods (_Why the fuck do I want McDonalds so badly?_ He wondered as he drove to the fast food restaurant at 2:47 AM).

He had gone to his personal doctor that knew the secret of the nations and had had some tests run on him. The next week, he got his results, and it was terrifying.

Romano was pregnant.

As it turns out, male nations were able to have children due to the fact that they weren't human. Something in their unique bodies allowed them to be.

But Romano didn't want this. He loved children, sure, but he also knew how these children had been made in the first place. It terrified him.

It started at some party that America had decided to throw. Most nations had gotten drunk, but Romano remained relatively sober, if not a bit tipsy. Spain, on the other hand, was drunk as hell. The whole thing started with a sloppy kiss from Spain, which soon escalated into a rather heated make out session in the corner. Then they had taken a cab to their hotel and had sweet, sweet sex.

Of course, Spain remembered nothing while Romano remembered every single detail. So when Spain woke up in the morning naked with an angry (and clothed) Romano standing over him, he assumed that he had taken off his clothes after getting the hotel and had fallen asleep and that Romano had come to pick him up so they could go to their respective countries. Romano didn't have the heart to tell him what had actually occurred.

After learning that he was pregnant, Romano only told the people he was closest to, other than Spain. Those people were Veneziano, Canada, and surprisingly enough, America. They had been shocked, of course. It was only natural that they would be shocked, since no male nation had really thought to try to get pregnant. However, they were also very supportive and weren't disgusted in any way as they listened to his story.

Which is why they were okay with Romano going into hiding until after he gave birth.

(If you are wondering, Canada and Romano had become friends for a very long time due to feeling like the rest of the world was full of idiots and the fact that they were often overshadowed by their brothers. America became Romano's friend when he decided to barge into Canada's house while he and Romano were hanging out. After getting completely creamed by Romano in Mario Kart, they developed a close friendship)

Romano would be fine for the first few months, as long as he tried to control his mood swings and weird cravings around the nations. However, as soon as he started to show, he would go into hiding, only allowing Veneziano, Canada, and America to see him (occasionally his boss comes too). At first, they were skeptical about his decision, but they decided that it was for the best.

The nations never suspected a thing in the few months that Romano spent around them, but then he suddenly disappeared, and Veneziano wouldn't tell them anything. (Nobody would think to ask Canada and America, considering nobody other than Veneziano even know about their friendship with the angry Italian)

When the time came that Romano could learn what gender the child was, he was shocked.

For he wasn't having simply one child.

He was having twins. One girl and one boy, to be exact.

He was happy and immediately told his brother and friends the news. They were happy for him as well and offered to do all of the shopping for him so that he wouldn't run the risk of being seen by the nations. Romano agreed, and things were quite peaceful for him in his semi-isolation.

At some point, Romano decided to disguise himself as a pregnant woman in order to see how Spain was taking it. He wanted to know if Spain was affected at all by his sudden appearance. With a little help from Canada, who was surprisingly good at costumes and makeup and the like, he was able to look like a woman.

He was very disappointed when he saw Spain looking as bright and happy as ever. He was even cooing over Veneziano and tackling him in hugs at random times. It seemed as if he didn't even care about Romano at all.

With this discovery in mind, Romano went back home, depressed.

(He didn't know that Spain laid in bed every night, staring blankly at the ceiling as tears rolled down his cheeks, wondering where his precious tomato had gone)

Romano knew that not many nations liked him. Hungary thought of him as a son at times, yes, and he occasionally liked to hang out with Belgium and the Netherlands, but those three weren't very close to him.

Romano had been hoping that Spain would care and he would be able to endure the way most of the nations disliked him, but that went down the drain when he learnt that Spain didn't even care. With no hope of having his love returned and they would be together forever, he came to a decision.

As soon as he gives birth to the twins, he would sign his half of Italy over to Veneziano and he and his children would become full humans.

Since the children would not have time to fully become true nations, they would be able to be human, along with their "mother."

There was a catch to becoming human: Romano would still have his memories, but only a select few nations would remember him while everyone else would never remember there ever being a South Italy Romano.

Veneziano and America had protested, wanting Romano to stay with them forever, but Canada was understanding and had eventually convinced the other two to agree with him.

"If it would make you happy, then we'll accept your decision," they had told him. Romano smiled gratefully at them for that.

After nine painful months and a long day at the hospital full of screaming, Romano was holding his two children: Madrid and Sicily. Madrid was the boy and Sicily was the girl. He smiled slightly as he saw them in his arms, but eventually, his boss walked into his hospital room to give him papers for him to sign. Romano handed the children to Canada and read over the papers.

_Write the names of the nations you would like to remember you in the line below._

**Canada, the United States of America, North Repubblica Italiana Veneziano**

_Sign your name on the line below and the deal will be set; you will no longer be human._

**South Repubblica Italiana Romano**

Then Romano was no longer Romano. Instead, he was Lovino Vargas, single father of two. Madrid was named Dante Vargas, and Sicily was named Chiara Vargas. They would have been named Dante Carriedo-Vargas and Chiara Carriedo-Vargas, but their father would never know them.

Lovino was given a new home in Rome, Italy with all the expenses paid for him and his children. Canada, Veneziano (or Italy, as that was his new, official name), and America would visit him from time to time to make sure he was alright. Canada and America would always call Italy by his first name because it just felt wrong to call him anything else.

Just like that, nobody but Veneziano (_Italy_), Canada, and America knew that there was ever a nation named Romano, and Spain could never figure out why he felt such an emptiness in his heart.

Lovino was supposed to live a peaceful, human life with little Dante and Chiara. Maybe he could have found a new love. Life wasn't that nice to him, because one day, he was bound to see the father of his children again.

And that is exactly what happened when he went on a vacation to Spain.


	2. Chapter 1: Five Years - June

_**I just posted the prologue yesterday, but I ended up finishing this like, ten minutes ago, so here's the next chapter! I wanted to make it a bit longer, but I felt like there was too much time skipping in this chapter. The chapter is basically an introduction to the twins and how Lovino has changed as a human. This won't show any of Lovino's relationships with any humans, but those will come in later.**_

_**So anyway, things you should know.**_

_**-I don't own Hetalia.**_

_**-I am a PruCan fan, so I may or may not add that in somewhere. Be warned if you don't like that ship.**_

_**-I don't live in Italy or Spain and I know nothing about those two countries, so if I get my facts about Italy or Spain wrong, please feel free to ignore me. I try to do research to stay as accurate as possible, but I won't get them right all the time.**_

_**-Even though Veneziano is technically Italy now, I will still refer to him as Veneziano because that was his original name and quite frankly, I didn't realize I was supposed to type Italy rather than Veneziano and I'm too lazy to change it.**_

_**-Don't expect regular updates. I get cases of writer's block A LOT so I might not update for months at a time. For that, I apologize in advance.**_

Chapter 1

"What do you want Veneziano?" Lovino asked immediately upon answering his phone as he stirred the pasta cooking in front of him.

"Veee~ It's been a while since we've talked fratello!" Veneziano exclaimed on the other end of the phone. "You rarely answer my calls!" Lovino sighed and turned off the stove.

"I've been busy, Vene," he said tiredly. "The kids are a handful and they're starting kindergarten in a few months. I'm a single father and I need to work if I want to pay for their food, their education, and our house."

"You can just borrow money from me, you know," Veneziano said. Lovino shook his head, although he knew that his brother couldn't see it.

"I can't do that," he told him. "I need to actually be able to care for myself and my kids every once in a while. I have to stop being lazy all the time if I want to be able to get by." He could hear Veneziano gasp mockingly and he rolled his eyes.

"Wow, you're actually trying to work!" He said in fake awe. "And you haven't sworn once!"

"The kids are in the room next to me!" Lovino said. "I can't use that language in front of them! I actually do care about them you know. They're my children." He poured the pasta and pasta sauce onto three plates and placed them on the dining room table with the pots in the middle of the table.

"It's not like they don't already know swear words," Veneziano pointed out. "You don't exactly censor yourself that often." Lovino rolled his eyes.

"What did you really call me for?" He asked. "Kids, dinner is ready!"

"Right, well, Matteo and Alfie are in Italy with me right now," Veneziano began. "We're going to be taking a plane to Spain because there's a World Meeting there! We accidentally got three extra tickets, so we're giving them to you and the little bambini!"

"WHAT?" Lovino shouted in surprise, almost dropping his phone in the pasta.

"Yep, so you're going to Spain!" Veneziano laughed. "The tickets should arrive tomorrow! The date and time are on them! And you have to go! I already told Matthew and Alfred and we haven't seen each other in a long time! Oh! I have to go! Ciao Lovi~!"

"That wasn't a damn accident was it you fucking-?!" Lovino stopped when he heard the phone click. He heard giggles from behind him and turned to find his two precious children laughing at him from the doorway.

Dante Vargas was the older twin. He had slightly wavy dark brown hair and hazel eyes that were the same shade as Lovino's. He was very cheery all the time, but he also had a sailor mouth on him, courtesy of his father. His words sometimes caused Lovino to get disapproving looks, but he paid no attention to them. He was also very trusting towards strangers, which had almost gotten him kidnapped at some point before Lovino threatened the guy.

Chiara Vargas was the younger twin. She had long, curly hair that was reddish-brown, like Lovino's, and she had green eyes. Like her father, there was a small curl sticking out on the left side of her head. She was about as mature as a five year old could possibly be, but she was still relatively peppy, although she does have anger issues like her father and was easily embarrassed by public affection. Unlike her brother, she disliked swearing, but tolerated it as long as it wasn't in front of strangers. She was less trusting than her brother, often dragging him away before he could accept candy from strangers, which had been a relief to Lovino.

"Was that Zio Veneziano?" Chiara asked. "You say bad words when Zio calls." The kids knew about how Lovino used to be a nation, as he couldn't possibly keep something like that away from his kids for long, and had promised to keep it a secret. They didn't know why their papa decided to become human, but it didn't really matter. They didn't want to have responsibilities as nations, so it was fine with them that they weren't nations.

Lovino sighed and ran a hand down his face.

"Sit down and then I'll tell you," he told them. They obediently sat in the chairs across from him and looked at him expectantly. "Your uncles bought us tickets to go to Spain. They're arriving in the mail tomorrow. You don't have to go if-" He was cut off by excited cheering.

"We're going to Spain, we're going to Spain!" The twins chanted together. Lovino sighed and smiled slightly.

"Alright, I guess we're going to Spain then," he said. "Now eat your pasta before it gets cold. I have churros heating in the microwave."

"Churros, churros!" The twins cheered. "Thank you Papa!" Lovino laughed.

"You're welcome, bambini," he said, teasingly calling them babies. Chiara pouted.

"I'm not a baby anymore, Papa!" She whined. "Dante might still be a baby, but I'm not!"

"Yeah!" Dante agreed. "Wait, I'm not a baby! I'm older than you!" Chiara stuck her tongue out at him and Lovino laughed at the two.

"Eat," he told them. Chiara and Dante stuck their tongues out at one another once more before eating their pasta.

That dinner was a peaceful and cheerful one.

* * *

The next morning, Lovino checked the mail, and sure enough, the tickets were there. They were going to Spain the next day at 3:30 AM. Lovino had groaned when he read that, because he did not like waking up early. He had enough of that when he had to deal with the twins always crying in the middle of the night in their first three years. It was even worse for him due to the fact that he was a single father.

The twins had immediately begun packing as soon as they heard and were throwing things to each other across the room for them to pack. It was amazing how in sync they were. Lovino just watched, amused, until he remembered that he'd have to call his brother to ask how long they would be there.

"Oh, the meeting is only a week, but it was recommended that we arrive a week prior and then we spend the rest of the month to relax and have fun!" Veneziano told him happily. This made the children even more ecstatic while Lovino desperately hoped that he wouldn't run into any nations that weren't his brother and best friends. He didn't want to have to deal with explaining why he had the same last name as Veneziano.

After calling Veneziano, he called his work to tell them that he was going on vacation. His boss had immediately let him go, because she said that he worked too hard and needed a break and time to spend with his family. Lovino was grateful that his boss was such a kind woman.

* * *

The day after, Lovino woke up the kids and took a cab to the airport, where Veneziano, Canada, and America were waiting for him.

"Dude, I haven't seen you in forever!" America shouted as he tackled Lovino a hug once he saw him. "How've you been?"

"Get off me bastard," Lovino said, pushing him off of him. "I've been fine. I've just been taking care of these two troublemakers." He gave a mock glare to his grinning children.

"Hello Lovino," Canada said politely, smiling. "We've been fine too. Nothing has really changed all that much."

"Zio Mattie!" The twins cried as they hugged his legs. "We missed you!" America pouted at the fact that the children liked his brother more than him. It was only natural, though, because America could get a bit overwhelming while Canada was calm and polite with the children.

"Ve~, I'm so glad you came!" Veneziano cried, launching himself at Lovino.

"Off!" He shouted, pushing his brother away from him. "Dio, what is up with you and Alfred constantly hugging me?"

"It's fun, Lovi!" Veneziano laughed. "I'm glad to see you're happy! So… have you found anyone yet?" Lovino's mood instantly went down the drain and he shook his head.

"No, I'm too busy with the kids to try," he said. "Why did you have to make me remember him?" Veneziano frowned and hugged his brother comfortingly.

"Ve, I'm sorry, fratello," he said. "I wasn't thinking." After a while, he pulled away.

"Papa, are you alright?" Dante asked worriedly, noticing how upset Lovino was. Lovino gave him a shaky smile and nodded.

"I'm fine, bambino," he said, leaning down to his height and kissing the top of his head. "Just a few bad memories from my time as a nation."

"I hope you aren't lying Papa," Chiara said, frowning. Lovino laughed and kissed the top of her head too. Chiara squirmed and moved away from him.

"I'm not, Chi, honest," he told her.

"Pinky swear?" Chiara asked, holding out her pinky. Lovino wrapped his pinky around hers.

"Pinky swear," he said. Chiara nodded and smiled.

"Okay then!" She said happily. "When are we getting on the plane, Papa?" Lovino looked at the time on his phone.

"Just ten more minutes," he told her. "Can you two wait that long?" Dante and Chiara nodded and began running around.

"Ah, don't just go off like that, you two!" Canada whisper-yelled as he ran after them. The twins just laughed and ran away from him.

"They love teasing their Uncle Mattie, don't they?" Lovino said, amused. "How do they have this much energy at 3 AM? Then again…" He glanced at America. "I'm still wondering how you can have so much energy as well."

* * *

The plane ride was long, and the twins complained about how their ears hurt constantly and that they were bored, so like any good parent, Lovino did everything he could to make sure they felt okay. Occasionally, Lovino felt a kid kicking the back of his seat, but he couldn't do anything lest he wanted to get in trouble.

As soon as the family of three got to their hotel, they had collapsed on the beds and prepared for a long, long sleep.

And Lovino was dreading the rest of this vacation.


	3. Chapter 2: One Week

_**Okay, soooo, I had about three-fourths of this chapter done after I posted the first chapter, and I would have gotten this chapter out sooner, but my computer wasn't working on Saturday and then I went to a fair and a Pentatonix concert on Sunday and I wasn't back until just before my curfew.**_

_**So, things to look out for in this chapter:**_

_**~Inaccurate Italian due to me not speaking any language other than English. Feel free to correct me because I got the translations from Google Translate.**_

_**~OOC Lovino because he tries not to get too angry around the twins and he's being extra careful, just in case any nation might regain their memories due to his personality. His name and looks are enough to set them off, so he has to be careful.**_

Chapter 2

One week later…

The first day of the World Meeting had just ended and Spain was taking a walk through one of his parks. He was really confused. For some reason, every time he went to a meeting, he felt like there should be someone there, but he knew that all the nations were there. He really didn't know why he felt that way, but he always felt sad because of this. He thought a walk would help him get better.

Spain sat on a bench and watched the children play while their fathers and mothers told them to be careful. He chuckled to himself. _Children are so cute~,_ he thought. And no, he was _not_ a pedophile, he just liked children. Two children caught his eye.

"Na na na na na, non si può prendere me!" A little boy sang in Italian as he ran away from a little girl. [Na na na na na, you can't catch me!]

"Tornate qui, altrimenti Papa otterrà arrabbiato con te!" The girl called to him as she chased after him. [Get back here or else Papa will get mad at you!] Spain was confused as to why the children were speaking Italian in Spain, but then he decided that they were probably Italian and were on vacation with their parents. Speaking of parents, he didn't see theirs.

"Andrà tutto bene, Chi- oof!" The little boy bumped into Spain's leg, which allowed his sister to catch up to him and grab his arm. [It'll be fine, Chi- oof!]

"Oh, are you alright?" Spain asked. The little boy nodded and smiled.

"I'm good!" The boy laughed, switching to Spanish. "A little thing like that can't get me down!" _Their parents must have taught them Spanish_, Spain thought.

"Do you need help finding your parents?" Spain asked. The boy nodded eagerly.

"Yes, can you-" he was cut off by his sister, who hit him on the head.

"Don't trust strangers so easily you idiot!" The girl scolded. "Don't you remember what happened last time? You almost got taken!" The boy rubbed his head and glared at her.

"But Papa beat the evil fucker up so it's fine!" He said. Spain was surprised at how mature the two sounded and how the little boy knew swear words. It made him a bit worried about their home life.

"Don't swear in front of strangers, idiota!" The girl shouted, hitting her brother on the head once again. "It'll give them the wrong impression!"

"Ahaha, kids, I promise you, I'm not going to take you," Spain cut in. "Now why don't I help you-"

"Chiara! Dante! Vi siete!" A voice called out in Italian, effectively cutting him off. "Non scappare così! Soprattutto in un paese straniero! E 'pericoloso!" [Chiara! Dante! There you are! Don't run off like that! Especially in a foreign country! It's dangerous!] Spain looked up and was stunned. The man running towards them was very handsome and very cute. Not only that, he looked so much like Italy that it was scary. The only differences were height, the curl on the left side of his head, the hazel eyes, and the reddish-brown hair. Looking at the man, he felt a sharp pang of longing and sadness. He didn't know why.

"Siamo spiacenti Papa…" the boy, Dante he supposed, said guiltily, looking at the ground. [Sorry Papa…] The man sighed and knelt down to pick up the two before standing up. He looked at Spain with an apologetic expression.

"I am so sorry about these two," he apologized in Spanish. "They always run off. It makes me worried."

"Haha, no it's fine!" Spain said. "Your children are so cute! I almost wish they were my own!" A flash of sadness appeared in the man's eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it came, so Spain brushed it off as his imagination.

"Well, again, I am so sorry," the man said. "Chiara, Dante, say sorry."

"Sorry Mister," the two chimed.

"It's fine, and please, don't call me that, it makes me feel old!" Spain laughed, ignoring the fact that he _was_ old. "Call me Antonio, because that's my name! Antonio Fernandez Carriedo! Nice to meet you, Chiara and Dante!" He grinned brightly at the two. Dante smiled back while Chiara looked up at her father, who was trying to hide the fact that he wanted to get away as soon as possible.

"Nice to meet you, but we have to go now," the man said.

"A-ah, wait, what's your name?" Spain asked, although he didn't really know why he cared so much.

"…Lovino," the man said after a few seconds. "Lovino Vargas. Nice to meet you tom- Antonio." Spain missed the stutter when he was saying his name as he was too focused on how the man looked almost exactly like Italy and had the same last name as Italy's human name.

"Any relation to Feliciano Vargas?" Spain asked, although he knew it was stupid since this man was obviously human. He would know if this person was a nation.

"Oh you mean-" Lovino placed a hand over his son's mouth before he could finish his sentence and shook his head.

"No relation, but I have met the kid before," he told him, smiling slightly. "He's nice. We even have the same birthday, but he's younger than me. Weird, huh?" Spain nodded.

"Yeah… weird…" he said. "So where's your wife? You must have a wife right? Because these kids are obviously not adopted. I see the resemblance!" Lovino flinched and Spain almost regretted his question once he saw the pain on the younger man's face.

"She… she left the twins with me immediately after they were born and hasn't contacted me since," Lovino explained sadly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Spain gasped. Lovino shook his head.

"No, it's fine, we weren't even dating," he quickly reassured. "We had just gotten drunk and did something stupid. I loved her though, but I don't think she really loved me. I'm glad I have these two though. I wouldn't give them up for the world…" Spain stayed quiet as he saw Lovino's wistful look and the adoring glance he gave his children. That look that Lovino gave his kids was quite adorable, Spain had to admit.

"Umm... So how about I show you and your kids around?" Spain asked, snapping Lovino out of his trance.

"Oh yes, please Papa?" Dante begged. "I like this man! He's nice and he doesn't offer me weird candy like everyone else!" Lovino looked reluctant, but nodded.

"Alright…" he agreed. Spain smiled and began to excitedly show them around the city. He didn't know why, but he wanted to be closer to this family.

* * *

_Fuck, fuck, fuckity fuck fuck,_ Lovino thought as he followed Spain with the twins in his arms. _This wasn't supposed to happen. I was supposed to spend this entire month with the kids without bumping into him. Fuck, I hope this doesn't trigger anything._ He was only half-listening to whatever the Spanish nation was saying, as he already knew everything about Spain after centuries to learn. Chiara and Dante were listening with rapt attention.

Throughout the week that they had been in Spain, they had spent most of their time going to restaurants and parks. They hadn't really bothered to explore, and this was mostly because Lovino was terrified that he would bump into Spain. Since it was the first day of the World Meeting, he thought there would be no chance of meeting any nations. Unfortunately, he had no clue when the meetings ended, and that is how Chiara and Dante ended up running into Spain.

"Lovi, are you listening to me?" Spain asked, pausing in whatever he was saying. Lovino snapped out of his thoughts and looked at him.

"Yeah, I- wait, did you just call me 'Lovi'?" He asked. The fact that that name was falling from Spain's lips made his heart hurt and memories came to his mind. He tried to push everything down, but only managed to make sure that Spain noticed nothing. _Although,_ Lovino thought, _he's too much of an idiot to be able to see that._

"Si!" Spain chirped. "Isn't it cute?" Lovino turned bright red and ignored his giggling children.

"It is not fucking cute you fucking bastard!" He shouted.

"You shouldn't swear in front of your kids, Lovi," Spain scolded half-heartedly. To his surprise, Dante laughed and Chiara didn't even seem to notice.

"Haha, Papa says bad words all the time so we've gotten used to it!" Dante laughed. "But Papa has been trying to censor himself more often and I don't know why!" He pouted.

"That's a good thing!" Chiara said. "Bad words are bad! They get you in trouble! Papa never gets in trouble though because Papa is an adult! Right, Papa?" She looked up at her father with a bright smile and Lovino couldn't help but nod and smile back.

"Yes, that's right, sweetie," he said.

"Oh yes, that's right!" Spain suddenly exclaimed. "Lovino, how is it that you know Spanish?" He just barely missed the slight stiffening of Lovino's shoulders before he answered.

"Dante and Chiara's mother was Spanish," he told him. "She taught me everything she knew and I taught these little troublemakers because I thought it would be good for them." Spain nodded, his mouth showing an 'o' shape.

"Umm, why are you here, in Spain?" He asked, feeling a bit weird referring to himself as a landmass. "Do you live here? Or are you here on vacation? I've never seen you around before."

"Vacation," Lovino answered. "My boss thought I should take a break from working for once, so she bought me tickets and won't let me come back until the end of the month. I didn't want to go, but I couldn't disappoint these two." He was lying of course, but Spain didn't need to know that. And his boss did want him to take a vacation anyway.

"You really love your children, don't you, Lovi?" Spain mused. He was sort of jealous that he couldn't dote upon children like that anymore.

"Yeah, of course," Lovino said. "They're all I have, really. They're the only constant in my life. Sure, my brother and my friends care about me, but they all work really hard. Truth be told, last week was the first time I had seen any of them in six months. Also, don't call me Lovi."

"But why~?" Spain whined. "It's cute!"

"Because their mother used to call me that!" Lovino shouted. "And goddammit, I don't want to have to think about hi- _her_ anymore than I have to! Because, God, it hurts so much to think about her!" He almost dropped Chiara and Dante in his distress while Spain was left completely speechless.

"Papa?" Chiara said hesitantly. "Are you alright?" Lovino nodded and sighed.

"Look, I appreciate the tour, Antonio, but you're asking questions that just… they bring up too many memories," he said. "I think I'm going to have to say goodbye. Thank you for showing us around." He turned and began to walk away.

"Ah, wait, can I at least get your number?" Spain called out to him. Lovino pretended not to hear him. With each step away from his former boss, he felt his heart grow heavier and heavier.

"Papa?" Dante said. "What just happened?"

"Was that a nation?" Chiara asked. Lovino gave them both a fake smile.

"It's nothing you two need to worry about," he told them, kissing them both on the head. "I just hope we don't see that man again. He brought up too many memories." The twins frowned. _If this man makes Papa sad,_ they thought together, _then I hope we don't see him again either._


	4. Chapter 3: One Day

_**Okay, so I would have had this chapter done earlier, but I had just gotten really lazy when I didn't have to do homework. I've been very tired and very stressed, I've been having some problems with my depression for the past week, and I'm a bit scared to talk to my friend on here about my problems right now. Also, I had to go to my friend's sleepover party for her birthday yesterday, so there's that too. I probably would have had this chapter finished yesterday if I didn't go to her party.**_

_**Anyway, enough about my life problems. THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR IN THIS CHAPTER:**_

_**~Mostly centered around Spain, Lovino, and Veneziano/Italy.**_

_**~Switching around between Italy and Veneziano based on the point of view.**_

_**~America and Canada will be in this chapter, but not mentioned too much even though they are there for a majority of the time because they don't really have a huge, huge part of what's going on.**_

_**~Smarter than they should be twins because I suck at writing children that aren't too smart for their own good.**_

_**~The explanation for why the twins are so loyal and loving towards Lovino.**_

**_~Some nations make an appearance._**

Chapter 3

Lovino had spent the rest of the day in the hotel room, staring blankly at the ceiling and wondering why, after five years, he had to see that goddamn Spaniard. Naturally, the twins had quickly gotten bored, but they did nothing to make their father entertain them. To them, their hardworking and loving father needed time to himself.

In the five years that the twins had been alive, they were quick to become a bit more mature than the average five year old. Perhaps this was because they were originally supposed to be nations, or perhaps it was due to all the babysitters they had to have when Lovino had to work. Either way, they had a better grasp for things than the average child their age.

After they were pretty well off, Lovino had more time to spend with the twins outside of his office and this allowed them to bond. At first, the twins were angry at him for leaving them with babysitters all the time and considered him a stranger. They wanted nothing to do with him. Later that night, they heard Lovino sobbing in his room to their Uncle Veneziano over the phone about how he just wanted to make sure that they could take care of themselves. After that, the twins learned about how much their father really cared for them and decided to take advantage of the time they had with him before he went off to work.

This is why they were so loyal to their father. To them, he was their hero. He worked hard and tried everything he could to make them happy, even if he didn't want it. He only ever lied to protect them and their innocence. It was alright with them. He completely adored them, and so they did what they could to give back to their father. The only way they knew how to give back to him was to not bother him with things they knew he wouldn't like.

So that's what they did.

Chiara and Dante felt terribly guilty for allowing Antonio to show them around. It had ended with Lovino getting upset, and to them, that could never happen. Their father deserved all the happiness in the world.

"We're sorry Papa…" Chiara said quietly later that night. Lovino was lying between Chiara and Dante, who were snuggled deeply into him.

Lovino smiled. "You have nothing to be sorry for," he told her. "I should be the one saying sorry. I ruined your day and you couldn't have fun."

"But if we hadn't pushed you to let Mr. Antonio show us around, he wouldn't have brought up bad memories," Dante continued. Lovino shook his head and kissed both of them on top of their heads.

"It doesn't matter, you two," he assured them. "Now, go to sleep. Tomorrow, we need to make up for the time that we could have spent having fun today." Dante and Chiara nodded and closed their eyes, snuggling deeply into their father and quickly succumbing to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, the children and Lovino woke to the sound of pounding on their hotel door and the yelling of Veneziano.

"Vee~, Lovi, are you awake?" Veneziano called through the door. "Open up! I want to talk to you fratello!"

"Papa, make Zio be quiet…" Dante mumbled, burying his face in his pillow. Lovino sighed.

"You two stay here, I'll talk to him," he said and stood up to open the door where Veneziano almost hit him with his fist. "What the fuck Feliciano? We were sleeping. You woke both me and the kids up!" Veneziano smiled sheepishly at him.

"Oops, sorry fratellone!" He chirped. "But I wanted to hang out today!"

"Don't you have a meeting to get to in…" Lovino looked at the clock, "five minutes?" Realization dawned on Veneziano's face.

"Oh yeah!" He said, snapping his fingers. "Oh well! I already made reservations to this really nice restaurant for us, the kids, Alfred, and Matteo! We _need_ to go there for breakfast! Pleeeaaasse Lovi?" He gave Lovino the sad eyes, and he knew he couldn't reject him.

"…Fine," Lovino grumbled. "Just stay out here for a moment while I tell the kids and then get ready, yeah? And _call_ before you make these fucking plans. That's twice that you've told me this shit at the last minute." Veneziano just laughed and let Lovino close the door.

"What's happening Papa?" Chiara asked, sitting up with her brother.

"We're going to a restaurant with your uncles for breakfast," Lovino sighed. "Come on, let's get you two dressed."

"Yay!" Dante cheered. "We haven't seen Zio Mattie, Al, and Feli in a while! Let's get ready Chiara!" He jumped out of the bed and started rummaging through his luggage to find something to wear while Chiara calmly looked through hers. Lovino gave a small laugh and picked out his own clothes to wear.

After getting ready, Lovino, Chiara, Dante, and Veneziano took Veneziano's car to the restaurant, where Canada and America were already waiting.

"Dudes, there you are!" America shouted as soon as he saw them. "We've been waiting forever!" His loud voice gained many glares from other people, but as always, he didn't notice.

"It was only ten minutes, Al," Canada pointed out quietly. America just laughed boisterously.

"Yeah, well, we're here now," Lovino said, trying to refrain from calling him a hamburger bastard around his kids. At least, in public. He didn't want to get glares from mothers telling him not to soil their innocence.

"Let's get our tables, ve~!" Veneziano exclaimed and walked into the restaurant with the others.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the World Meeting, everyone was wondering where Italy and America were. At first, they hadn't thought much of it since it was obvious that the two would be late to many meetings, but after about fifteen minutes, everyone was getting worried. The two might've been late before, but never that late.

"Would someone go find them, please?" Germany eventually sighed. "They're probably causing havoc in the streets by now."

"I'll go!" Spain exclaimed immediately, jumping at a chance to find Italy and maybe see the cute father from the day before and apologize.

"Yes, thank you Spain," Germany said, nodding to him. "Come back as soon as possible. We will have to start the meeting." Spain jumped out of his seat and ran out of the building.

"Why is he so eager?" Someone asked. Germany shrugged.

"Let's begin the meeting," he said.

* * *

Spain drove around for a while, looking for any sign of a brunette with a curl or a head of blonde hair and a bomber jacket. There was no such luck, and at some point, he got hungry, so he decided to stop at a nearby restaurant to eat.

When he walked it, he immediately heard boisterous laughter that he recognized as America's. He looked around and it didn't take long to spot America sitting with Italy and- Lovino and his kids?! (There was also an empty chair next to them, but he didn't really think about that) America seemed to be teasing Lovino, who was red in the face from either embarrassment or anger- or both. It made him a bit jealous that America was close enough to Lovino to be having breakfast with him and his kids, although Spain didn't really know why he was jealous.

Spain quickly walked over to the table with a bright smile. They didn't seem to notice him until Italy furrowed his eyebrows and looked up to see Spain.

"Ah, Big Brother Antonio!" Italy chirped. "I didn't see you there!"

"Hola Feli!" Spain laughed. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, Alfred, Matteo, and I bumped into Lovino and the twins on our way here and we decided to get breakfast together!" Italy lied, but Spain didn't notice.

"Matteo?" He asked. "Who's that?" America laughed.

"Dude, he's my brother, Mattie!" He said, patting the air next to him and an almost transparent man with a polar bear in his lap seemed to appear. "But of course you can't see him! No one except we ever do!" _Oh yeah, a nation,_ Spain realized. _I think his name is… Cania? Cadana? Something like that._

"Well, anyway, have you met Lovino, 'Toni?" Italy asked. Spain nodded.

"Si, I have!" He said. "How do you two, err, three know him?"

"We met in Rome where that hamburger idiot accidentally spilled coffee all over my shirt," Lovino began. "As an apology, he dragged me and those two off to lunch. I ended up having to pay my babysitter over time because of that, but it was fun. We met a few times after that and now the kids call these three their uncles." Chiara and Dante nodded, not saying anything even though they knew that was a lie.

"Ve, how do you know Lovi and the kids, 'Toni?" Italy asked. Spain laughed sheepishly.

"Ah, the kids bumped into me and then I offered to show them around," he explained. "I accidentally made Lovi here upset because I kept asking questions that were answered with the mother of the twins. I wanted to apologize for that actually."

"It's fine, I guess," Lovino told him passively. "It doesn't matter anyway. I doubt she even remembers me." Spain sighed in relief.

"Well, that's good!" He exclaimed. "I was worried you'd stay mad at me forever! Oh, Feli, Alfred, you two need to get to the representatives meeting!" Italy pouted.

"Aww, but I wanted to stay here and eat breakfast with them before leaving!" He whined. "Can't we eat breakfast before we go?" Spain really tried to ignore the look on Italy's face, but it seemed he wasn't immune to the look.

"….Fine," he relented. "But I want to join you guys too!" Italy grinned happily while the twins exchanged uneasy looks.

"Sit, sit!" Italy said, pulling out a chair next to him. Spain smiled and took the seat.

"So anyway, as I was saying…" America continued on with what he was saying before Spain had arrived. It seemed as though Italy, America, that other person (Canadia was it?), Lovino, and the twins were very comfortable around each other. It worried Spain, because he knew that nations could not be close to mortals. After all, what would happen once that mortal died? And also, how would they explain how they never seemed to age?

Still, Spain understood how America and Italy (and Canada) were so close to the interesting family. Something about the three of them was comforting and familiar. Being in the presence of the three made Spain feel both happy and sad, but mostly happy. He still didn't understand why, but he was okay with it.

* * *

By the time breakfast was over, everyone had completely forgotten about the World Meeting.

"Ve, Toni, do you want to join us to go shopping?" Italy asked. "The twins have been wanting to go!" Spain nodded enthusiastically.

"Si!" He exclaimed happily. "I would love to join you guys! Well, as long as Lovi doesn't mind…" He trailed off as he glanced at the Italian holding the twins' hands.

"Sure, I guess," Lovino sighed. "These idiots would pester me if I said no anyway. And stop calling me by that stupid nickname!" He glowered at him, but Spain just laughed him off, as always.

"Yay!" Italy cheered. "This will be so much fun!"

"So Toni, d'ya know any good malls around here?" America asked. Spain thought about it, then nodded.

"I know a great place!" He said. "Did you guys take your own cars?"

"Mattie and I took Mattie's car, and then Lovi and Feli and the twins took Feli's car!" America explained.

"Ve~, Lovi, you and the twins should go with Antonio!" Italy suggested, grinning. Lovino turned red and spluttered.

"W-w-what?!" He stammered. "Why?! Feliciano!" Italy laughed.

"Nope!" He said. "Go with him! It'll be fun!"

"I think it's a good idea!" Spain agreed, thinking it would be a good time to learn more about Lovino and the children. Lovino let out an aggravated sigh.

"Feli, can I talk to you in private for a minute?" He asked, and before Italy could reply, Lovino took his wrist and dragged him off just far enough so that everybody else couldn't hear them. Chiara and Dante looked up at Canada curiously.

"Zio Mattie, what's going on with Papa?" Dante asked. Canada just shrugged in reply, a small, reassuring smile on his face.

* * *

"I know what you're doing, Veneziano," Lovino hissed.

"Oh?" Veneziano drawled. "And what is that?" A sly grin crept its way onto his face.

"You're trying to get me to spend time with that fucking tomato bastard!" Lovino accused. "There is a reason I became human and didn't let him keep his memories of me! He's the father of my children, and while I love them and him, he doesn't love me. I don't know if he would love his kids. I couldn't run into him as a human with his memories still intact. He would be wondering about my children. Stop what you're doing Vene. He's not going to remember."

"But how do you know that he never loved you?" Veneziano asked.

"If he loved me, he would have been much more depressed when I disappeared," Lovino said. "I saw him cooing over you. He wasn't sad about me at all."

"What if it was just a mask to hide the pain?" Veneziano insisted. "Please, Romano-"

"My name is Lovino now," Lovino interrupted.

"-Lovino," Veneziano continued, "just give him a chance. He might fall in love with you, and maybe even regain his memories. Then you could get his side of the story. I just want you to be happy, fratellone, and I want the twins to know who their other father is. Can you just do this? For me?" Lovino sighed.

"Alright, fine," he relented. "I'll spend some time with him. But that's it! I highly doubt he'll fall for me though!" Veneziano smiled.

"Thank you Lovi!" He exclaimed, hugging his brother. Once he pulled away, he grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him back to the group. "Toni! Lovi is going to be riding in your car!"

"Great!" Spain beamed. Lovino turned red at seeing his face so bright and happy. He was still very much attractive.

* * *

"Spain still hasn't come back with Italy and America," France pointed out worriedly. "Could something have happened to them?"

"We're in Spain's country, I'm sure their fine," England said passively. "Spain is probably distracted or still hasn't found Italy and America."

"Still, perhaps we should send out someone else to find all three of them," France insisted.

"If they don't come back throughout this meeting, then we can be worried," Germany decided.


	5. Chapter 4: Four Hours

_**So my friend is mad at me because I can get 1,000 views in a week on a fic, and it's been like, months for her. I really don't know why I do though... *shrug* Did you guys notice that my chapter titles correspond with times in the fic? Yeah, that's what I was going for. Also, I apologize if this chapter sucks. I was running out of ideas. I do have the basic plot outlined and a few things planned out, though, so no worries dudes!**_

_**Things to look out for in the chapter:**_

_**~Lovino getting upset over memories**_

_**~Not much else really**_

Chapter 4

Lovino was not happy about having to ride of Spain. Of course, the children were there, too, but still. _Damn you Feli_, he thought over and over again as he looked out the window of Spain's car.

"So where are you from, Lovi?" Spain asked, trying to start a conversation.

"Rome, Italy," Lovino answered dully. "The kids were born in Ontario, Canada though. Or at least, that's what their mother said in her letter when she left them on my doorstep." When Canada had heard that Lovino wanted to go into hiding, he had offered to let them stay at a house he had in Ontario, or more specifically, New Prussia. He knew that there was only a very slight chance that any nation other than Veneziano and America would go there. That's where the kids ended up being born.

"Oh," Spain said, nodding. "I've been to Rome before, although I don't think I've ever been to Canada." _Yes you have,_ Lovino thought. _You just don't remember because all the nations are forgetful bastards._"I wonder what it's like… Oh yeah, what's your favorite color?"

"…Green or red," Lovino replied. "I can never choose between the two. On one hand, green is an amazing color and… I don't want to tell you the other reason. On the other hand, red is the color of tomatoes." Spain's face seemed to brighten up more, if that was even possible.

"You like tomatoes Lovi?" He asked happily.

"Don't call me that," Lovino said. "And yes. They're fucking delicious! Of course I would like them!"

"We like tomatoes too!" Dante called from behind them.

"Good boy!" Lovino said to him with a smirk.

"I'm not a dog Papa!" Dante said, pouting. Lovino could hear Chiara laughing at her brother and teasing him about being a dog.

"I like tomatoes too!" Spain chirped, steering the conversation back to him and Lovino. "I have a tomato garden at my house!" Lovino nodded.

"Cool," he said.

"Err, do you have any other family?" Spain asked. Lovino shook his head.

"No, it's just me," he said. "My parents, well, they never really liked me, so I don't talk to them. I never had any siblings, younger or older, so it's just me and the kids."

"Oh." It was silent for a while after that, save for the chatter coming from Chiara and Dante. Spain was trying to think of another question to ask, and then he finally came up with one.

"Hey Lovi, what was their mother's name?" He asked. Lovino stiffened and tried to think quickly.

"…Maria," he lied. "Her name was Maria."

"What was she like?" Spain questioned.

"Why should I tell you?" Lovino asked in reply. Spain shrugged.

"I don't know," he said. "I want to know more about you and the girl you loved. It's not like you're telling me her deepest, darkest secrets or anything, right?" Lovino sighed.

"…She was… amazing," he said at last. "She was kind and always cheerful. She loved tomatoes, too. She liked to have fun and would always drag me out with her as well. She loved everyone, save for a few people. But she also wasn't weak. If she wanted to, she could have beaten me at any time for being such an asshole. I loved her a lot, but I never got the chance to tell her. I was scared, and now I don't have a chance to see her again." Spain frowned as he noticed Lovino's eyes get extremely sad.

"Oh, she sounds amazing," he commented. Lovino nodded.

"Yeah, she was." He looked away from him. He didn't want to see his pitying look. He didn't even know that he was talking about him. He didn't know anything. Because he didn't remember.

Lovino clenched his fists in his lap. _Damn you Veneziano,_ he thought. _Damn you to hell. Why did you make me go with this bastard? Every time I do, he makes me remember everything I don't. Damn it. Damn you. We were perfectly happy on our own dammit!_

"Umm, Lovino," Spain said suddenly, snapping Lovino out of his thoughts. "I'm sorry that I keep bringing her up. The thing is, I really want to be your friend. I think you're cool, so I want to know more about you and your family." Lovino turned to him and sighed.

"No, I'm sorry that I'm being such a fucking sap about it," he said. "I should be over her by now, but she was my first and only love. I did have other relationships before her, but… none of that was love. I can't believe I'm still hung up over her."

"Papa, we're just glad to know what our mother was like," Chiara spoke up from the seat behind him. "You never tell us about Mama, but now we know. I still don't like her for running out on Papa, though." Dante nodded in agreement. Spain and Lovino laughed, although Lovino's laugh was a bit more nervous. _Oh you two…_ He thought. _You don't know the real story. Maybe when you're older I'll tell you._

"Hey Papa, how were we born anyway?" Dante asked suddenly. Lovino stiffened at the question and Spain laughed at his misfortune.

"Well, Dante, er…" Lovino stammered. In the six years the kids had been alive, they had never asked him the forbidden question, and he had hoped to never have to tell them. Now that they had asked, he had no idea what to say, and Spain's laughing was no help _at all_.

* * *

When Lovino, Spain, Chiara, and Dante had arrived at the mall just after Veneziano, Canada, and America, Dante was still clueless and Lovino looked very distressed.

"Ve~, what's wrong fr- Lovi?" Veneziano asked, very nearly calling Lovino "fratello." Lovino gave an aggravated sigh.

"First of all, that idiot over there asked about the kids' mother," he began, jerking his thumb in Spain's direction, "which then cause Dante to ask how babies were born." His brother and his two friends laughed.

"You have terrible luck, Lovi!" America exclaimed.

"Don't call me that," Lovino said rather than reply to what he said.

"Aww, but Feli and Mattie call you that all the time!" America whined. "Why can't I?"

"Because Matthew isn't an asshole like you and Feliciano is too nice to deny him," Lovino answered. "You, on the other hand, are an annoying bastard that will be treated as such."

"Ah, but you love me!" America said, swinging an arm around him.

"Si, Papa loves all of you!" Dante chirped as he walked to hold Lovino's hand. Chiara was sitting in Canada's arms.

"Dante, don't tell them that!" Lovino hissed. Dante tilted his head.

"But what's the big deal, Papa?" He asked. "There's nothing wrong with admitting that you love them. They're family, right?" Lovino sighed and nodded, unable to disagree with him.

"Yes, they are," he admitted reluctantly.

"We're glad to know that you love us," Canada said with a soft smile. "We love you too." Lovino turned slightly red and turned away.

"Whatever, maple bastard," he said. "Let's just get inside." Spain, America, and Veneziano cheered before entering the mall.

"Papa, can I ride on your shoulders?" Dante asked, looking up at his father with large, doe eyes. Lovino nodded.

"Of course," he said and carried Dante onto his shoulders before walking into the mall with Matthew and Chiara following close behind him.

* * *

As Italy worked on getting Spain better clothes because "he should _not_ be wearing a fashion disaster when there isn't a meeting where he's required to dress nicely," Spain noticed that Lovino was casually browsing through some designer clothes and that many women were looking at him with lustful eyes. Especially seeing that he had a kid.

When one woman found the courage to talk to Lovino, Spain was ultimately surprised to see a smile easily slip onto his face as he spoke in a mixture of Italian and Spanish and got the woman blushing from his charming words. He was almost like Italy when it came to girls. No, he was _exactly_ like Italy in the flirting department.

"Ciao, bella," Lovino said smoothly with a smile. "What's your name?" The woman blushed as many others looked upon her with envy.

"M-my name is Arianna," the woman stammered. "Y-you have an adorable son." Lovino nodded.

"Yes, I do," he said. "His name is Dante. He actually has a twin sister, but she's with my friend right now. He's standing over there, actually. Matthew!" Matthew looked over from where he was awkwardly standing and walked towards them with Chiara.

"Yeah?" Matthew said, not paying any attention to the women that were so obviously squealing at his cuteness and the fact that he was friends with the hot guy with a child.

"I don't really need anything, but I wanted to introduce you and Chiara to my new friend here," Lovino said, nodding in Arianna's direction. "Oh yeah, I haven't told you my name. I'm Lovino Vargas. My friend here is Matthew Williams, and my adorable little daughter is Chiara."

"S-so cute~!" Arianna squealed. "Are you guys models?" Lovino and Matthew looked at each other, then laughed.

"No, we aren't, miss," Matthew said. "I work for the government and he has a simple office job."

"Are you someone important?" Arianna asked. Matthew gave a small, secretive smile.

"I guess you could say that," he replied. "But it's very hush, hush."

"Papà, cosa stai facendo?" Chiara asked in Italian. [Papa, what are you doing?]

"Nulla si deve preoccupare, cara," Lovino replied. [Nothing you need to worry about, dear.]

"Lovino, could you help me find something for Antonio to wear?" Italy called. Lovino looked at him and nodded.

"Of course!" He called back. "Well, this is goodbye, Arianna. Nice meeting you. Matthew, are you coming too? You _do_ need better outfits other than those hoodies and jeans. And seriously, you own a _fanny pack_ and a vomit colored suit." Matthew frowned.

"I don't see anything wrong with them," he muttered as he walked after his friend.

* * *

Spain was a bit curious after seeing that interaction. He wondered why Lovino could smile and talk so easily with random girls, but he was so angry and grumpy around men. It was weird. The only ones he had seen Lovino interact with like that were his children, but that was perfectly understandable, as Lovino didn't really have anyone else.

Spain was also jealous. He wanted to be able to bring a smile like that upon Lovino's face. He wanted to be able to hug him and not be pushed away as he felt he would. And suddenly, Spain didn't want to be a nation anymore. He didn't want to have to live forever while Lovino and the children died eventually.

Spain may be oblivious to a lot of things, but his best friend is France and he _was_ the country of passion. At first, he didn't understand it, but after seeing Lovino act like that with a random girl, well, it made him realize that maybe he had fallen for Lovino at first sight.

That scared him.

He was a nation. He wasn't allowed to get close to humans, because eventually, they _will_ die. They weren't almost immortal like he was. A war could also break out at any time, and if an enemy nation were to learn of the relationship between a nation and a human, that enemy nation could use that human to bring their enemy down. Spain couldn't bear to think of anything like that happening Lovino. (He didn't know that the reason he fell for him at first sight is because he had already had hundreds of years for his feelings to develop for the former nation)

Spain decided to never tell Lovino this. He didn't even know if Lovino was even gay, or at least bi. _Perhaps it would even hurt less this way,_ Spain thought.

"Oi, tomato bastard, what are you thinking about?" Lovino's voice broke through his thoughts, as well as a smack on the head.

"Oh nothing~," Spain laughed. "Don't worry about it! Wait, tomato bastard?" A wave of nostalgia passed over him, and he didn't know why that nickname sounded familiar.

"You like tomatoes, and you're a bastard," Lovino said, as if that answered everything. "Try these clothes on." Italy shoved a bunch of clothes into his arms, as Lovino was holding onto Dante, and pushed him into the dressing rooms.

Spain sighed. _Italy and Lovi are like Francis when it comes to fashion…_

* * *

An hour and twenty pairs of clothes later, Spain (and America and Canada) had a bunch of bags and they were now walking around the mall, mostly being led by Chiara and Dante, who wanted to go this way and that. Chiara and Dante argued constantly over whether to go into this toy store or that toy store.

"Chiara, Dante, why don't we take a break and get lunch?" Lovino spoke up at last. "You must be tired and hungry from all the walking by now. And it's about…" He looked at his watch. "Two o'clock and the last time we ate, it was about 10:30." Chiara and Dante paused in their arguing to look at their father.

"Okay, Papa," Chiara said after a moment of thinking.

"But I wanted to go to that stooooorrrreee!" Dante whined. Chiara hit him on the head.

"Don't give Papa any more trouble, idiot!" She scolded. The nations and Lovino laughed at them.

"Let's just go, you two," he said. "Where do you want to eat?"

"McDonalds!" Dante cheered. Everyone else but America gained a disgusted look.

"Alfred, why must you have corrupted him?" Canada asked quietly.

"Hey, it shows how awesome the kid is!" America said defensively. Everyone else just sighed.

"We're not going to McDonalds, Dante," Lovino told him awkwardly, not wanting his son to throw a tantrum. "How about we go… over there?" He pointed to a random place nearby. Dante pouted, but nodded.

"Okay!" He said happily. "Let's go!" They went to the counter to ask for their food.

As they got their food, a voice called out to them.

"Feliciano! Antonio! What are you doing at the mall rather than at the meeting?!" They turned and Germany was staring at them angrily, with a few other nations with him. Spain and Veneziano exchanged panicked glances.

_Oops._


	6. Chapter 5: Five Minutes

_**Ughh, okay, quick warning: THIS CHAPTER SUCKS. Really, this is more of just a filler than an actual chapter. I just needed to move the story along. I really had no clue where this chapter would be heading. Because of that, I wasn't able to update sooner. Hopefully I would be able to update the next chapter a bit faster, but no promises. In random news, as I finished this, I am currently in San Francisco, California visiting family. I was actually planning on posting this on Saturday, but I didn't have the time to finish it because by the time I finished some of the chapter, it was past midnight. In fact, I just finished this past midnight, so.**_

_**Okay, to a Guest,who said:**_

Er... I have a question... In the chapter two: one week didn't Lovino say that his brother invited him? And in this chapter Lovino claims to have no siblings... Is this intentional? and P.S. I love your story I anxiously await the next update it's so amazing!

_**No that was not intentional! I did not notice it, and that has been fixed now, so no worries! Thank you so much for pointing that out! That would have been a disaster! And thank you for the compliment! I appreciate it**_

_**To Sleepery, who**** said:**_

I have this vision of chiara meeting England and developing a small twitch of extreme anger and then losing it and attacks him by accidentally summoning Spain's battle axe Maria into her hands while yelling angrily in Spanish imagine this with like the Spanish flag in the background I also think a smaller vers of Spain's pirate uniform appears on her XD every time I finish reading a chapter these are my thoughts

_**That is a... very interesting thought. XD I don't think something like that would actually happen though. She might get a bit annoyed with him, and maybe yell a bit, but summoning an ax would be a bit suspicious. Also, she was born as Sicily, so she has more Sicilian traits than Spanish and therefore that probably wouldn't happen. (If anyone is wondering, I don't actually know any Sicilian traits other than mafia, so I apologize) It's an interesting thought though!**_

_**To anyone wondering, I will be answering to any questions my reviewers have. If you are on an account, then I will PM you. If not, I will answer your question in the next chapter. Sometimes, I would reply to just random little comments because I want to and that comment interested me. But I will not be giving any spoilers for future chapters, unless you are a close friend, of which I only really have two, so.**_**  
**

_**Anyway, things to look out for in this chapter:**_

_**~Terribleness**_

_**~France and Germany's POV**_

_**~Italy lying about Lovino's life**_

_**~Lovino not hating Germany as much as he used to as a nation**_

_**So anyway, please R&amp;R and enjoy! Also, if I mistakenly typed "Diante" instead of "Dante," please tell me. I know a guy with the name Diante (Dionte?) in my school, so sometimes I type that instead of Dante's name. The names are extremely similar after all.**_

Chapter 5

Lovino tightened his grip on Chiara and Dante's hands, seemingly to protect them from the strange, tall man that had just yelled out to Veneziano and Spain. Really, he was afraid that somehow, the nations might remember him after seeing him and he had automatically tensed up. Also, while he had somewhat gotten over his hatred for Germany, he still didn't like him all that much, but he could tolerate him if he actually got around to remembering him.

"Feliciano, Antonio, Alfred, what on Earth are you doing here?" Germany asked angrily as he marched over to them. "You were supposed to be at the World Meeting!" They both laughed sheepishly.

"Ve~, sorry Luddy!" Veneziano laughed. "We got a bit sidetracked and completely forgot!"

"And just what was so important that you forgot about the meeting?" Germany demanded. Veneziano and America exchanged uneasy looks, but Spain, in his obliviousness, told the truth.

"Apparently Feli met Lovi and his kids before and decided to have breakfast with them while they were in Spain!" He said, pointing at Lovino and the twins. "They're really cool! So I decided to hang out with them too! I guess we forgot about the meeting in the process!" Germany turned his sharp gaze onto Lovino, Chiara, and Dante, although his eyes softened up a bit at the sight of the children. It was probably not to scare them.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"My name is Lovino," Lovino told him timidly. "Lovino Vargas, but no relation to Feliciano over there. It's just a coincidence. The twins are Chiara and Dante. And you are…?"

"Ludwig Beilschmidt," Germany answered. "Pleasure to meet you. I'm sorry for any trouble these idiots have caused." He held his hand out to shake Lovino's hand, and Lovino took the hand firmly, although hesitantly.

"Yeah, they sure are idiots," Lovino snorted. "I knew they had a meeting today, but they insisted on staying with me."

"I tried too," Canada spoke up quietly, scaring the nations on his sudden appearance.

"Dude when did you get here?" America asked loudly. Canada sighed.

"I've been here the whole time… You know that…"

"Don't pretend not to notice Zio Mattie, Zio Alfred," Chiara chastised in her own childish way. America just laughed.

"Yeah, whatever little dude!"

"I'm a girl!"

"Dudette then!"

"You are a terrible Uncle!"

"Stop teasing her, Alfred," Lovino sighed, placing his hand on Chiara's head. "You know she doesn't like it." America pouted.

"Fine," he said. Chiara smiled brightly up at her father.

"Thanks Papa!" She chirped. Lovino smiled back down at her softly.

"You're welcome," he said.

"Hey, Ludwig, why are you and the others here?" Spain asked.

"Someone wanted to go out for our lunch break rather than sit in the meeting room all day," Germany replied. "Somehow, we ended up here."

"Ve~, Luddy, you should join us to eat!" Veneziano exclaimed. "The more, the merrier!"

"This is a lot of people though," Lovino said uncomfortably. "What are we supposed to do?"

"We can all sit at tables near each other!" Veneziano said.

"Oo, I call sitting next to Lovi and the twins!" Spain immediately exclaimed.

"No fucking way bastard," Lovino rejected without skipping a beat. Spain pouted.

"Papa, can he sit with us?" Dante asked. "He's nice and he won't mess with us."

"What about Matthew?" Lovino asked him rather than actually answer him.

"Zio Mattie can sit with us too," Chiara said. "Come on, Papa, please?"

"Yeah, give me a chance!" Spain said, nodding. Lovino sighed irritably.

"Fine," he relented. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go order my and the kids' food now." He marched back to the counter to place his order.

And of course, at some point, he started flirting with the cute cashier.

* * *

Spain was about to follow Lovino when France took him by the arm. "Eh?" He said, blinking at his friend. "What is it, Francis?"

"You seem awfully close to this man, mon ami," France whispered. "You do realize that you can't afford to get close to a human? After all, they eventually die while we will live on." Spain laughed nervously.

"Don't worry, France," he whispered back. "I'm not going to get too close to him. He's just very interesting, and the children are adorable! Besides, I haven't even known him that long anyway." France nodded.

"He seems very close to mon Matthieu, Alfred, and Feliciano," he said. "Why is this? They know the consequences as well, do they not?" Spain shrugged, watching as Italy, Canada, and America conversed happily with the small family of three.

"As I said before, they met before back in Italy," he explained. "Apparently they stayed in touch after America took them all out to eat after he spilled coffee all over Lovi."

"Ah, yes, that makes sense," France said, nodding. "All three of them are rather friendly, so of course they would do something like that. Well, I won't keep you from that Italian any longer, as long as you make sure not to get too close." Spain nodded.

"Don't worry," he said. "I won't." With that, he skipped over to Lovino and hugged him from behind, earning him a angry smack on the head.

France sighed at his friend's behavior. He was the country of love, and Spain couldn't possibly hope to keep anything from him. It was obvious that Spain was smitten with this Lovino character, who looks too much like Italy for it to simply be a coincidence. Or maybe it's just one of those "nine people that look exactly like you" stuff.

Either way, France was worried about his friends and little brothers. They were all so obviously close to this family, but that family was human. They were nations. It would only cause suspicion over the fact that they would never age, and there would be grief when they all die. This is why they needed to never get close to a human.

(Even as France thought this, he was one of many to not even get a single inkling of who Lovino really was. Unlike Spain, he was able to completely ignore the idea that Lovino was oddly familiar)

* * *

Lovino sighed irritably as Spain took a seat next to him, but then immediately smiled at his daughter when Chiara tugged on his hand curiously.

"Papa, please don't be mad," Chiara said. "If you aren't happy, we could ask Antonio to not sit with us." Lovino shook his head.

"No, I'm alright, Chi," he said. "I just don't like being around so many people at once. Remember, we don't get to do this often, so it makes me a bit jittery. Although, I can't say the same for you brother…" He looked at Dante, who was already walking around and introducing himself to all of the nations.

"Ciao, my name is Dante Vargas!" Dante chirped to every nation. "My sister is Chiara Vargas! She's sitting with Papa! It's nice to meet you!" The nations would, naturally, coo and say hello and introduce themselves using their human names. Dante would smile and then move on to the next nation.

"Your brother, always the outgoing one," Lovino commented with an amused chuckle. "Why don't you join him, Chiara?" Chiara contemplated for a moment, then nodded.

"Okay Papa!" She said brightly and hopped out of her seat to introduce herself to the nations.

"You're okay with letting them wander off and talk to strangers?" Spain asked. Lovino shrugged.

"You, Matthew, Feliciano, and Alfred seem to know them, so I think they're good," he lied. Spain beamed.

"You trust me judgment?" He said happily. "That makes me so happy!"

"I trust the judgment of Matthew," Lovino told him bluntly. "Not so much you. Besides, I'm watching the children, so if anyone tries anything, I will know." Spain pouted.

"Aww, you don't trust me?" He said. Lovino nodded without hesitation.

"I've only known you for like, a day," he pointed out. "I can't exactly trust someone _that_ much after just one day." Spain nodded.

"Well, what can I do to earn your trust?" He asked eagerly.

"Why do you care?" Lovino asked. Spain shrugged and smiled.

"I don't know," he said happily. "I just want to be your friend? Is that so bad? Do you not like me?" His eyes began to water with fake tears and Lovino sighed.

"I don't… dislike you," he told him awkwardly. His pride would not let him say more than that. If Spain smiled any brighter, Lovino swore that he would need sunglasses.

"Yay, I'm so happy to hear that Lovi!" Spain squealed loudly. Lovino winced and covered his ears, glaring.

"Could you yell any louder?" He hissed. Spain smiled sheepishly.

"Oops, sorry," he apologized. "I'm just happy to know that you don't hate me!" Lovino rolled his eyes.

"Don't let it get to your head, bastard."

* * *

Germany watched the exchange between Lovino and Spain with narrowed eyes. Unlike France and a vast majority of the nations there, Lovino was familiar, almost painfully so. The way he and Spain interacted made him suspicious, and he was curious as to why two – or was it three? – nations would so willingly hang out with the same mortals without telling anyone else until now.

"Ve, Luddy? Are you alright?" Italy asked, tugging on Germany's shirt sleeve and effectively cutting off his train of thought. Germany looked at his boyfriend and nodded.

"Yes, I'm fine, Italy," he assured him. "I'm just curious about Lovino, that's all." Italy tilted his head.

"Why do you want to know about Lovi?" He questioned. Germany shrugged.

"I don't really know myself," he admitted.

"Ve, well I can tell you some things!" Italy said. "Lovi is an only child and he absolutely adores his kids! He does everything for them! He loves tomatoes and churros and his favorite color is green! He lived in Italy for most of his childhood, but went to America to study for college before going back! Umm, what else? I think that's it!" Germany nodded, but that didn't really yell him anything about Lovino.

Oh well, he trusted Italy, so he didn't pry. After all, there was no way that Italy could just lie to him about a mortal like that.

…Right?


	7. Chapter 6: Three Weeks

_**Heyyyy. It's been a while since I posted a chapter, and I would have posted this sooner (I finished it on a plane), but it was really short, so I wanted to finish the next chapter first before posting this in order to make up for it! I had gotten distracted from writing for a while, and it got a bit boring, but now I am writing it again!**_

_**Things to look out for in this chapter:**_

_**~Shortness**_

_**~A lame ass excuse as to why Lovino can't stay in Spain longer**_

_**~Germany is suspicious of Lovino**_

_**~Spain is wondering why Germany is suspicious**_

_**~And yeah, that's it**_

Chapter 6

Three weeks later...

It had been a month since Lovino had arrived in Spain, and he was rejoicing as he woke up the morning he could leave. After this, he was certain that he would never, ever see another nation (other than Veneziano, Canada, and America) ever again.

In the three weeks after he saw the nations and was "formally" introduced to them, Lovino was visited by Spain _way_ too much (he suspected that Veneziano gave him his hotel number), Germany was so obviously suspicious about him (unless he liked him, which wasn't likely considering he was dating Veneziano), and France was being France and was just a perverted bastard towards him (he got a very large dent on his head courtesy of America's bat). All in all, it was like Lovino was still a nation, minus the whole suspicion thing with Germany.

Lovino didn't like it.

He became human to get away from all the bastards that hadn't even cared about him, especially Spain. He had his brother and his friends, sure, but they were only three, and after his death, surely they would forget about him eventually? Spain was his last tie to being a nation, and he didn't even care about how Lovino had just disappeared.

_It's weird,_ Lovino mused as he helped the children pack. _He didn't care about me back then, six years ago, so why does he care now? It's probably because he has only know Lovino for a month and doesn't know everything about him, but he raised Romano and knew how annoying, bossy, and selfish he was. Yeah, that's probably it._ His own thoughts hurt him, but they made him come to a conclusion.

The only reason Spain was so interested in Lovino was because he didn't know anything about what Lovino was really like.

Yes, that had to be it. What other reason could he possibly have? Nodding firmly, Lovino tuned back into the real world, only to see his kids staring up at him with an incredulous look on her face.

"Papa, were you even listening to us?" Chiara asked. Lovino laughed sheepishly.

"Haha, sorry, Chi, Dante, what was that?" He asked. Chiara and Dante began talking, Lovino listening intently as he continued packing.

* * *

Spain was in a hurry. According to Italy, Lovino was leaving that day. He didn't know why Lovino hadn't told him that he was leaving. He wanted to be able to say bye before Lovino left. He didn't know when he would be able to Lovino and the twins again, so he wanted to be able to at least talk to him before he left.

Practically slamming the car door, Spain ran into the hotel and made it to Lovino's room just in time for the handsome Italian to open the door. Spain noticed the bewildered look on Lovino's face upon seeing him and smiled.

"Hola Lovi!" He said cheerfully. "You weren't planning on just leaving without saying goodbye, were you?" Lovino stood there, stunned for a moment, before replying.

"That was the plan, yeah," he said. Spain pouted.

"Aww, come on, do you have a ride to the airport?" He asked. Lovino shrugged.

"Feliciano was supposed to take us, but I'm guessing that since you're here, he told you to drive us instead?" He guessed. Spain laughed.

"Yep!" He confirmed. "Come on, let's go!" He would have taken Lovino's hand and just dragged him out, but then there was the problem of the twins, so he just walked with them outside to his car.

"Nice car," Lovino said upon seeing it, a strange glint in his eyes. "It's different from the last one you drove me in. Italian?" Spain nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah, it is!" He said. "I forget why I have it, but I couldn't bring myself to get rid of it. It's a nice car, and for some reason, I felt as though it was important. Oh sorry, you probably don't care," Lovino shrugged and opened the back door to let the twins in before sitting in the passenger's seat. Spain got into the driver's seat and off they went.

* * *

At the airport, they met up with Italy, Canada, America, and for some reason, Germany. Spain, of course, greeted them all enthusiastically while Lovino glared at Italy and said something about "You could've driven me asshole!" Italy just laughed him off. Lovino greeted Germany curtly, but other than that, the two didn't interact much.

That was something Spain didn't really understand. Lovino and Germany didn't really care for each other all that much, although the twins certainly liked him. Spain had seen Germany staring at him suspiciously and Lovino simply pretended not to notice. Spain didn't think there was anything really suspicious about Lovino and the kids, and he was a bit worried that Germany would try something. Oh well, as long as they didn't hurt each other, Spain could ignore it.

Anyway, Spain watched as America practically tackled Lovino in a hug as if they hadn't seen each other in years. Lovino let the hug go on for two seconds before pushing him off and calling him a hamburger bastard. Spain almost missed Canada greeting Lovino with a smile on his face before leaning down to the twins' heights and saying hello to them too.

"Oi, you're being unusually quiet," Lovino said, glancing over at him.

"Oh have I?" Spain said, then laughed. "Ahaha, sorry about that! I just have nothing to say right now! Oh! But I really am sad that you're leaving! Are you sure you can't stay longer?" Lovino nodded.

"If I stay any longer, my boss'll get mad at me," he said. "She said that I can only stay a month and then I get one day to rest at home and then I have to get straight to work once again."

"Don't you work from home?" Spain asked. Lovino nodded again.

"Yeah, but I didn't bring my files from home, so I can't do the work here," he explained. "And she monitors what I do on that laptop every so often. She'll know if I'm not working. Seriously, if the kids want to play with me, I have to put up a digital stick note on the computer saying that I'm playing with them just in case she looks at my screen during that time." Spain nodded.

"Oh well," he sighed. "I really wish you could stay longer." Lovino shrugged. Spain was expecting an "Yeah, me too" or something like that, but in the month he had gotten to know him, he wasn't very surprised at the lack of response.

* * *

Spain, Canada, America, Veneziano, and Germany stayed with Lovino until it was time to go. Germany exchanged handshakes with Lovino while everyone else hugged him. America and Spain cried about how they didn't want him to go, which in turn caused Lovino to push them both away and hit them.

As soon as Chiara, Dante, and Lovino got home, they kicked off their shoes and collapsed on the couch. Chiara and Dante laid on top of their father, and luckily they weren't very heavy. They fell asleep immediately and would not wake up for another couple of hours. After all, falling asleep on a plane is very hard to do.


	8. Chapter 7: Three Months - October

_**As promised, the next chapter! See, now you get two chapters in one day! I've been planning this chapter since I started writing this story. I don't have much to say here, so...**_

_**Things to look out for in this chapter:**_

_**~Halloween even though it's been a week since then**_

_**~Lovino and the twins go to America's country**_

_**~Lovino stomping on the stereotypes that little girls have to be pretty princesses for Halloween  
**_

_**~Mentions of the mafia**_

_**~Spain gets drunk**_

_**Enjoy and please review as I would really appreciate it!**_

Chapter 7

Three months later…

Three months after the trip to Spain, it was near Halloween. The children had almost forgotten about the trip, as their heads were filled with thoughts of Halloween and school. And like many other children, they hated school. (It wasn't just the fact that they had to wake up early in order to go. It was also the fact that they were apart from their beloved Papa for seven hours a day for five days a week)

Lovino still clearly remembered the trip. How could he not? He saw _Spain_ and a whole bunch of other nations that he really did _not_ want to see again. He's thought this many times over and over again, but he couldn't help the fear that they would remember and ask questions.

Lovino was invited by America to come to a party at his house in California for Halloween. Lovino agreed, as it wasn't often America invited him. (This was because America was worried that nations would find Lovino, but now that they had already met them, he had nothing to be afraid of) Plus, the twins loved trick-or-treating in America. Not many kids went trick-or-treating on Halloween in Italy.

"Chiara, Dante, what do you two want to be for Halloween?" Lovino asked them on a Friday night during dinner. Chiara and Dante looked at each other.

"I want to be a ninja!" Dante decided.

"Can I be one too?" Chiara asked shyly. Lovino nodded.

"Of course, Chi," he told her. "Why wouldn't you be allowed to?"

"Well, all the girls in my class are talking about being princesses and how being stuff like pirates and ninjas was weird, so…" She trailed off and Lovino sighed. He was afraid of this.

"Chiara, listen to me," he said firmly. "You don't have to listen to those girls. You can be whatever you want and you can do whatever you want and you can like whatever you want. You shouldn't try to fit in because then you wouldn't be you. Just be yourself and if they don't like that, tough. Like whatever you want and do whatever you want, because then people would like you for you. If that means you want to be a ninja when everyone else wants to be a princess, then so be it. That goes for you too Dante. Do whatever you want and don't you dare let anyone tell you that you can't do it." The twins nodded.

"Thank you Papa," Chiara said, smiling. "I'll be a ninja then! Dante and I could be a team of super crime-fighting ninjas!"

"Yeah!" Dante agreed. Lovino laughed and dinner proceeded as normal.

* * *

On the night of Halloween in California, Lovino took Chiara and Dante out trick-or-treating, just like everyone else in America did every year. As always, adults would coo at how cute the twins were, just like they did for every child. Some would ask Lovino why his daughter was a ninja rather than a princess, to which he replied with an angry, "If she wants to be a ninja, then who am I to stop her? She can be whatever she wants. Just because she's a girl does not mean that she has to be. If I told her what she could and could not be, then she would grow timid and go with what everyone else wanted her to be rather than what she wanted to be. And that would mean that I wouldn't know who my child really is." With that, he would take the twins' hands and lead them somewhere else.

Sometime during the night, Lovino ran into some random stranger when he was chasing after the twins and they both fell to the ground.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" The stranger apologized, immediately standing up to help Lovino. "I wasn't looking where I was going!" Lovino waved him off as he stood.

"No, it's fine, it was my- Antonio?" He stared in shock at the familiar green eyes and dark brown hair. It may have been dark outside, but the light from the streetlights made it easy enough to recognize the handsome Spaniard.

"Lovi!" Spain exclaimed. "I'm so happy to see you! Are you staying in America for vacation or something?" Lovino nodded, too shocked to reply. It had only been three months, so how could he already be seeing Spain? Obviously God hated him or something.

"I, yeah… umm, what are you doing in America?" Lovino asked. Spain laughed.

"I'm here for Alfred's party of course!" He exclaimed. "Are you here for his party too?" _I should've known,_ Lovino thought, nodding in reply to Spain's question.

"Yeah," he replied. "He invited me, but I'm taking the twins out trick-or-treating first. We don't get to do that often."

"Can I join?" Spain asked excitedly. "I love your kids! They're so cute! I want to hang out with them more!" Lovino smiled nervously at him, but before he could answer, the kids came running up to him and hugged his legs.

"Papa, we thought we lost you!" Chiara cried.

"You weren't following us!" Dante added. Lovino laughed and pried them off his legs. He knelt down to look them in the eye.

"I'm sorry you two," he said. "I had just bumped into Antonio over there and we started talking. Although, if you two hadn't been running away so fast, we wouldn't have this problem now, would we?" Chiara and Dante smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry Papa," they chimed. Lovino smiled and kissed the tops of their heads, then stood up.

"Now why don't you two say hi to Antonio?" He turned them around so they could see the handsome Spaniard watching them. The twins grinned.

"Ciao Antonio!" They exclaimed.

"Hello Chiara!" Spain greeted them cheerfully. "Hello Dante! How are you two?"

"We're good!" Dante chirped. "But school is shit."

"Dante!" Chiara reprimanded. "No bad words!" She looked up at Spain again. "School is okay! Although some of the kids are mean." She pouted.

"They don't do or say anything bad to you, do they?" Spain asked worriedly. Chiara and Dante shook their heads.

"No, they just say we can't play with them," Dante said. "But it's okay! Because we don't need those b-" Chiara gave him a pointed look. "-I mean, those meanies!" Chiara nodded in approval. Lovino laughed and scooped them up in his arms.

"Well, we're going to keep going," he told Spain. "They want candy. I'm sure that if they all eat the candy right after, they'll go on a sugar high at Alfred's party and then they'll be too tired out after to bug me."

"Papa!" Chiara and Dante exclaimed. Lovino laughed again.

"I'm kidding," he said. "Sort of." The twins pouted and Spain was the one to laugh this time.

"So as I asked your Papa before, can I come along?" He asked. Chiara and Dante nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes!" They exclaimed. "Papa will say yes! Papa always says yes! Right Papa?" They looked at Lovino expectantly and Lovino nodded slowly.

"Right, of course," he agreed. "You can come too, I guess."

"Hooray!" Spain and the twins cheered. Spain would have hugged him, but Lovino still had Chiara and Dante in his arms.

* * *

By the time Lovino, Spain, and the twins arrived at America's party with two bags full of candy, the twins were hyper and it was almost 11 PM. Lovino had to hold onto the twins to stop them from running off and getting lost or bumping into one of the more menacing nations (By that, he means Russia or a drunk England).

"Lovi! You're here!" America shouted over the loud, blaring music as he ran over to them. "I thought you wouldn't come! You're with Toni too! Hey, dude, how ya been?" He gave Spain a fist bump and smiled widely.

"I've been good, Alfred!" Spain said brightly.

"Don't call me Lovi," Lovino said with a glare. America laughed him off.

"So what are you two doing together?" He asked slyly. "Is a little something something going on? Eh? Ehhh?" He elbowed Lovino, who quickly turned red. Lovino grabbed his friend's arm and twisted it behind his back.

"Don't fucking imply things, you goddamn bastardo," he growled into the blonde's ear. He let go of him and America rubbed his arm.

"Geez, Lovino, you're strong!" He laughed. "That is so weird! You're so skinny! Even with all that Italian food you eat!" Lovino rolled his eyes.

"That's because I work out when I can, dumbass," he said. "And anyway, I still know how to fight from before the kids were born. I still keep in contact with, you know, _them_. They babysit the kids sometimes, and sometimes we still hang out."

"Eh? Lovi, were you a punk or something?" Spain asked as he listened to the conversation. America burst out laughing.

"Dude, I could totally see you as a punk!" America said to Lovino before looking back at Spain. "Haha, thanks for the laugh. I guess he was something of a punk back in his teenage years." He chuckled, as if he had just said a joke. Lovino elbowed him in the stomach.

"Stop talking about my fucking past," he said. Chiara and Dante tugged on his pants.

"Papa, can we go play?" Chiara asked.

"Yeah, we wanna play!" Dante agreed, nodding enthusiastically. Lovino sighed and nodded, kneeling down to their height.

"Yes, you two can play," he said. "But make sure that you find your Zio Matthew first. And don't approach people that look angry or insane, like those two." He pointed to a very drunk Prussia and Russia, who were about ready to rip the other's head off. He looked at America. "Alfred, do you know where Matthew is?"

"Uhh, I think he's in his room upstairs…" America told him uncertainly. "I'll go find him." He walked off to find his missing brother. Lovino stood up, making sure he was still holding Chiara and Dante's hands.

"Why did you bring the twins here?" Spain asked curiously. "This obviously isn't the place for two six year olds." Lovino waved him off.

"They lost their innocence the day Alfred barged into my house naked and drunk and trying to kiss me," he told him nonchalantly. "And I couldn't leave them alone at the hotel. Plus they like seeing Alfred, Matthew, and Feliciano. They don't get to often." Spain nodded as America came bounding over with Canada.

"Well, Mattie's now here to watch over the little troublemakers!" America announced cheerfully.

"I can see that dumbass," Lovino said bluntly. Canada smiled at the twins.

"Hello Chiara, Dante," he said kindly.

"Ciao Zio Matteo!" The twins greeted cheerfully, grabbing onto his hands. "Let's go play!" They attempted to drag their uncle off somewhere, and only succeeded when Canada chuckled and played along.

"Well, it's time to get you wasted!" America cheered, grabbing onto Lovino's hand and began leading him to the bar. Lovino pulled his hand back and glared.

"In case you haven't realized, I have two children that need to be driven back to the hotel and looked after, so I can't get drunk until they're old enough to take care of themselves or they move out of the house," he snapped. "Besides, I don't want any of your shitty beer."

"My beer is not shitty!" America cried, pouting. Lovino rolled his eyes.

"Whatever," he said. "I'll have one drink. I'm not such a lightweight that I can't handle one drink." America cheered and dragged Lovino back to the bar. Spain followed closely behind, chuckling.

* * *

Later on into the night, Lovino had successfully been able to not get the slightest bit tipsy, but Spain was absolutely wasted. Lovino spent the night silently laughing at the stupidity of Spain, France, and Prussia and looking out for Chiara and Dante, just in case they got away from Canada.

At some point, Spain was leaning against Lovino and talking about something or other while Lovino was trying not to push him off his stool.

"You know, Lovi, you remind me of someone…" Spain slurred. Lovino stiffened.

"R-really?" he stammered. "That's… interesting." Spain nodded.

"Yeaaah, but I can't remember who," he said. "But I guess if I can't remember, they probably weren't important. Ehhh, can someone get me another drink?!"

If Lovino had thought that maybe, just maybe, Spain had actually cared about him in the least bit, he had immediately retracted that thought at his words.


	9. Chapter 8: Two Weeks

_**I don't have much to say, so I'll just go on with things to look out for in this chapter:**_

_**~A little short, sorry**_

_**~A bit of a filler too**_

_**~A mafia member comes in**_

_**~A look at Chiara and Dante's school life**_

_**~No nations, sorry**_

_**That's all, really! If I give away too much, then that wouldn't leave enough mystery to keep you reading! So I hope you enjoy, and please review! Thank you!**_

Chapter 8

Two weeks later…

Lovino was quite happy to leave America with the twins after hearing what Spain had said. He had spent five days moping in his free time (which had greatly worried the twins) before acting as if it had never happened. He was just thankful that Spain was too stupid to ask for his number or else he would have to deal with him calling 24/7.

Two weeks after the party, it was the end of Chiara and Dante's first quarter in school. Lovino would be having a parent-teacher conference to discuss how they were doing in school. Lovino was a bit nervous, because he didn't exactly know how they acted during school and so he didn't know if they were troublemakers or not.

Chiara and Dante couldn't go, so Lovino had to call up one of his old assassins, Arnaldo, to babysit them. He was a favorite of Chiara and Dante's previous babysitters.

Yes, Lovino was still in touch with his mafia. As they were not nations, they still remembered him. They had also known about his status as a nation and were shocked when they had heard about how he was becoming human and was pregnant. (One idiot had the audacity to laugh at the pregnant man with angry mood swings that was also thousands of years old and had much more training than him. Needless to say, by the time he was out of the hospital, the twins were celebrating their first birthday)

"Don't worry Boss," Arnaldo said just before Lovino left. "I'll take good care of the kids. I promise." Lovino smiled at him.

"I know," he said, and then turned to look at his children. "You two be good, alright? I'll only be gone for about an hour." Chiara and Dante nodded and hugged him and then headed off to watch TV.

"Motherhood has really softened you up a bit, Boss," Arnaldo chuckled. Lovino glared at him.

"I'm not a girl, Arnaldo," he spat. "And stop calling me 'Boss.' I'm not your boss anymore, I'm just a normal person now." Arnaldo nodded.

"Well, I'll see you in an hour, B- err, Lovino," he said. Lovino nodded and headed out to the school.

Lovino had met their teacher on opening night.

* * *

_On the first day of school, Lovino went with his kids to meet their teacher, just like all parents did. He watched Chiara and Dante explore the room, hand-in-hand, until their teacher walked up to him. She was a beautiful woman of about 25 years old, the same age as Lovino physically was. She had long, straight black hair and brown eyes._

"_So who's your child?" The teacher asked._

"_The twins holding hands over there," Lovino answered, pointing at Chiara and Dante, who were observing something._

"_Oh, those two look adorable," the teacher cooed. "What're their names again?"_

"_Chiara and Dante," Lovino replied. He turned to her and smiled charmingly, holding out a hand. "By the way, my name is Lovino. Lovino Vargas." The teacher blushed lightly and shook his hand._

"_Gina Brivio," she said. "A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Vargas." Lovino nodded, his smile still on his face._

"_You too," he had said._

"_So how old were you when these two were born?" Ms. Brivio asked. "You look much too young to be a father." Lovino almost snorted at that._

"_I was 19," he told her._

"_That is very young," Ms. Brivio said. "Where is their mother?"_

"_She left them on my doorstep," Lovino said. "We were drunk when it happened. I'm not mad at her though. I'm happy to have them in my life. They mean everything to me." He smiled as he watched the twins play together._

"_Oh, I am so sorry," Ms. Brivio said sympathetically, placing a hand on his shoulder. He just shrugged, not bothering to answer her._

* * *

Ms. Brivio had seemed like a perfectly nice woman back then, so Lovino wasn't worried about her being a problem to his kids. He wasn't blind to the fact that she had at least a crush on him though.

"Ah, hello Mr. Vargas," Ms. Brivio greeted when she saw him enter the room. "Take a seat." She gestured to the chair in front of her desk and Lovino sat down.

"Hello, Ms. Brivio," Lovino said, nodding to her.

"Please, call me Gina," Ms. Brivio requested. "Anyway, I would like to talk to you about Chiara and Dante." Lovino nodded. "Yes, well, the twins are wonderful children. They are intelligent, outgoing, and just complete sweethearts. They have wonderful grades in all subjects."

"I should hope so," Lovino stated. "I might have gone a bit overboard in trying to make sure they were prepared for school." Ms. Brivio laughed.

"There is one thing I worry about, though," she said suddenly, a serious look on her face. Lovino nodded slowly, confused.

"Yes…?"

"The twins never seem to interact with anyone else in their class," Ms. Brivio explained. "In fact, they are very outgoing, yes, and they certainly will talk and play with other children if they are asked, but they seem to start more conversations with adults rather than children their own age. Do you have any reason why this may be?" Lovino sighed.

"Yes, I have an idea," he admitted. "They actually don't go out much. I had to work a lot for the first few years of their lives in order to pay off a few debts and care for them, so naturally, they didn't see me around and I couldn't bring them out. They interacted mostly with adults that didn't let them do much. After I started having more free time, the only people they talked to were their uncles. Recently, we have been going on a lot of vacations and they have been talking to their uncles' coworkers, so they don't really talk to many children." Ms. Brivio nodded thoughtfully.

"I see," she said. "Well, I believe they should have more interaction with other children their own age. Perhaps you should work on that?" Lovino nodded.

"Yeah, I'll try that," he said.

They went on to talk a little bit more about the twins, and then after all that discussion, Lovino asked, "Is there anything else?"

"Ah, yes, I was wondering how they are doing without a mother around?" Ms. Brivio asked. "It must be hard, not having a mother around for them. You have to do so much work." _Oh I see where this is going,_ Lovino thought as he noticed the teacher's hand creeping towards his.

"Not really," Lovino said nonchalantly. "My boss gives me lots of breaks for me to play with them. I am basically a mother and a father to them, so I think they're fine without a mother."

"Have you ever thought of marrying someone?" Ms. Brivio asked. "I'm sure they would appreciate another adult in their life."

"No, they have said that they don't really need another parental figure in their life," Lovino lied. They had never actually said that. In fact, they had been wanting him to date, but he was still not over Spain.

"Well, I still think it would benefit them."

"Excuse me, Gina, but I fail to see what this has to do with their education and performance in school?" Lovino stated abruptly.

"Ah, yes, I do believe this has gone on long enough," Ms. Brivio said in a panicky sort of voice. "I will keep in touch if I ever need to tell you something about Chiara and Dante." Lovino nodded and stood up. He walked to the door, but stopped just before he left the room.

"Oh, and Gina?" he said, not bothering to look at her.

"Yes?"

"I'm bisexual, but I lean more towards boys than girls," Lovino stated before leaving the room with a smirk. He didn't stop to look at the teacher's shocked face.

* * *

"Oh, well, you're back early," Arnaldo commented when Lovino walked into the house.

"Yeah, well, the teacher started attempting to flirt and I got annoyed so I left," Lovino said. He took off his shoes and looked around. "Where are the kids?"

"Living room," Arnaldo answered. "They're watching TV." Lovino nodded and went to the living room, where he spotted the twins watching TV on the large bean bag chair in front of the TV in the living room. Quietly, he snuck up behind them, and then jumped onto the large bean bag chair, affectively causing the twins to jump and squeal.

"Papa!" the twins exclaimed happily, hugging him. "You're home!"

"Ciao, Chiara, ciao Dante," Lovino said, grinning. "Did you two have fun with Arnaldo? I hope you didn't cause him any trouble. Or set anything on fire." The two shook their heads.

"We're good kids!" Dante insisted. Lovino laughed and rubbed the top of his head.

"Sure you are," he said sarcastically. Dante pouted and Lovino laughed again. He laid down on his stomach and looked at the TV. "What are you two watching?" he asked.

"Bondi Band," Chiara answered. "It's a bit weird."

"Isn't this one of America's shows?" Lovino wondered. His children just shrugged and they continued watching TV together.

* * *

They ended up falling asleep on that bean bag chair, and Lovino woke up the next morning to the smell of pancakes cooking. Arnaldo was still there, it seemed.

"Arnaldo, why are you still here?" Lovino asked as he walked into the kitchen.

"Sorry, Lovino, but you needed someone to wake you up in the morning, because your alarm clock is upstairs," Arnaldo replied, flipping the pancakes, but almost dropping them on the floor. "Also, no one is picking me up until later."

"Isn't it about time you got a driver's license?" Lovino asked incredulously. "You're 20-something years old and in the mafia. I think you can drive without it being illegal now." Arnaldo just shrugged and continued working on the pancakes.

The phone suddenly rang and Lovino went to pick it up.

"Ciao?" he said into the phone. "Lovino Vargas speaking."

"Lovi?" Veneziano's voice came up. "It's Feliciano!"

"Hey Feli, what did you need?" Lovino asked, leaning against the counter. "You're calling at an oddly weird time. Shouldn't you be with your potato boyfriend training or being forced to do work? It's not someone's birthday is it?" Veneziano laughed.

"No, it isn't someone's birthday, Lovi," he said. "In fact, it's something even better! You won't believe this!"

"What is it?"

"I'm pregnant!"


	10. Chapter 9: One Week - Ending November

_**Did you guys love the last chapter? Haha, I did. All of you were surprised. I actually did not intend for that to happen, but then I decided "Why not?" and just did it. It also gave me an excuse for what is about to happen in this chapter. Hehe, I seem to have a thing for dramatic endings and cliffhangers.**_

_**It has come to my attention that I need to change the theme of the chapter titles, so I might put the time and then day or date as the chapter titles. Soo, yeah, I'll do that soon.**_

_**Things to look out for in this chapter:**_

_**~Lovino's life outside his work and kids is introduced (he's not a loner you guys)**_

_**~Chiara and Dante have a short little freak out**_

_**And that is all I can give you if I don't want to spoil everything about this chapter! Sooo, I hope you enjoy, and please review! Thank you!**_

Chapter 9

"I'm sorry, you're what?" Lovino asked, not quite sure he if heard his brother correctly. "I thought you just said that you're pregnant, but surely I must be mishearing things…"

"Nope, I really am pregnant fratellone!" Veneziano chirped from the other line. "Isn't this great?"

"Uhh, yeah, it is…" Lovino answered, still somewhat in shock. "How did this happen, exactly? Wait, is it the potato bastard's child? Damn him…"

"Ve, Roma, I thought you were over your hatred for him," Veneziano remarked. Lovino flinched at hearing his old nickname.

"Don't call me that, Vene," he hissed quietly into the phone. "My name isn't _Romano_ anymore, okay? My name is Lovino. I am not a nation anymore. Understand?" He heard his brother sigh on the other side of the phone call.

"Mi dispiace fratellone," he said. [I'm sorry big brother] "But I miss being able to call you that." Lovino sighed.

"No, I'm sorry for snapping at you," he said. "And yeah, I have somewhat gotten over my hatred for that bastard, but I will still call him that sometimes. Anyway, how far along are you?"

"I'm five weeks in, but not many symptoms yet!" Veneziano said. "Oh yeah! I also wanted to tell you that I'm going to be inviting a lot of the nations over as a celebration! A baby shower of sorts! And I want you to come! It's next week Thursday at my house in Rome!"

"Vene, wouldn't that be a bit weird for the nations?" Lovino asked. "Me, a human, coming to your house for a child that you're pregnant with? Wouldn't that be a bit suspicious? After all, I'm not supposed to know about nations and therefore, I'm not supposed to know about how male nations could become pregnant." Veneziano was silent for a few moments.

"I suppose you're right…" he spoke. "But please, won't you come anyway? I would really love to have you and the children come! Please! You are really important to me! You're my big brother!" Lovino sighed again.

"How about the twins and I come the day before and stay the night and then leave before any of the nations show up?" he suggested. He could practically hear his brother's grin through the phone.

"Vee~, I like that idea, Lovi!" Veneziano said happily. "Wednesday it is! I am so excited to see you again Lovi! I have to go now! Ciao fratello!"

"Ciao," Lovino said, and he ended the call. He walked back into the kitchen where Arnaldo was just finishing the pancakes and he sighed, running his hands through his hair.

"Who was that, Lovino?" Arnaldo asked.

"It was my brother," Lovino answered. "He just wanted to say that he was pregnant." He said it so casually that Arnaldo didn't realize what he just said.

"Oh that's nice," Arnaldo said and then almost dropped the plates he had in his hands when the words had completely registered in his brain. "Wait, what?!" Lovino chuckled and nodded.

"Yeah, he's pregnant with a fucking potato baby," he said. "He's inviting me and the twins over next week on Wednesday to celebrate. We're staying for the night and then going home."

"Oh, well, have fun," Arnaldo said. "My ride's coming in a few minutes, so I'll wake up the twins and then get ready to leave." Lovino nodded to him and he left to wake up Chiara and Dante while Lovino set the table.

Chiara and Dante came in a minute later looking tired. As soon as they saw their beloved Papa, their eyes lit up and they ran to hug his legs.

"Buongiorno Papa!" they exclaimed. Lovino smiled lovingly at them.

"Buongiorno," he said back. "Are you two still tired?" They nodded.

"But we smelled pancakes!" Chiara exclaimed. "We really like pancakes!"

"Did Arnaldo make them?" Dante asked. Lovino nodded.

"They're never as good as Zio Matteo's…" Chiara began as she and Dante took their seats at the table.

"…but they are still pretty good!" Dante finished happily. Lovino rolled his eyes.

"Don't start talking like that you two, please," he said exasperatedly. "You'll give me a headache." He smiled to show them he was joking and sat down across from them. The twins giggled.

"Sorry Papa," they chorused. They ate in peaceful silence for a while as Arnaldo was leaving, and then it occurred to Lovino that he should probably tell the children about what they were doing next week.

"Oh yes, kids," he began, "your uncle Feliciano called." Chiara and Dante looked up at him expectantly, and he continued. "He is having a child soon. Someone else for you to play with once they're old enough. We're going to his house in Rome next week Wednesday to celebrate and we're staying the night." Excited looks passed over the twins' faces.

"Yay!" they cried together. "We can't wait! We get a cousin! Cousin, cousin!" Lovino chuckled at their excitement, but he also knew he needed to get a present for his brother. Something for the baby.

* * *

"I cannot believe my brother is having a kid!" Lovino groaned to his friends the next day, collapsing his head on the table in front of him.

Lovino did actually have human friends. He wasn't a loner dad that worked all day and only played with his kids. He did have friends that he occasionally hung out with. In fact, most people in town actually knew him. They knew him as the sweet male feminist with the two twins that he adored. He was also known as an absolute gentleman to the ladies that still didn't take any shit from anyone, regardless of gender identity. He mostly hung out with four people: a woman named Diana, a man named Cosimo, another man named Emilio, and a woman named Adriana.

Diana was 28 years old, three years older than Lovino's apparent age. She had long black hair that reached just above her waist and brown eyes. She wasn't native to Italy. She came from America, but moved to Italy for her college education. She was the most mature of her friends, often being the one to make sure she didn't get drunk so she could drive everyone home. She was also the one everyone turned to when they needed advice. That didn't mean she didn't have quite the temper. Lovino often mentally compared her to England and himself when someone dares to insult someone she cared deeply for. She met Lovino when she pretended to be his girlfriend in order to stop a few girls from trying to get in bed with him and make him uncomfortable. The twins had been around two years old at the time. They'd been friends ever since.

Cosimo was 25 years old, the same age as Lovino apparently was. He had light brown hair that was always a bit messy and dark hazel eyes. He looked a bit younger than he really was, which really annoyed him when people assumed he was still in college. He was generally more quiet than everyone else, but he did have his moments. When something really pisses him off, he would rant to Lovino or Diana for hours on end. He worked as a bartender, which is how he met Lovino. Lovino had been trying to calm himself down with a few drinks after getting stressed out by the newly born twins. Lovino ended up drunk and accidentally told Cosimo everything about him, including his previous status as a nation and how the children were born. Cosimo never told a soul, and he never told Lovino that he knew. He told Lovino that he took care of him while he was drunk, and that was how they ended up being friends. He was still waiting for the day Lovino would tell him about his past himself.

Emilio was 26 years old. He had dark brown hair and green eyes. He was gay, and had his own moments as a stereotypical gay man, but that was usually just to mess with other people. He was a bit on the muscular side, and liked to have fun. He met Lovino when the kids were four and running around at the park. The kids had gotten lost and bumped into him and they helped him find Lovino. He had gotten a bit of a crush on Lovino once he helped the children find him. They became friends, and Emilio got the courage to ask Lovino out at some point. They tried it for about a month, but Lovino couldn't handle it and broke up with him. Emilio was okay with that. They still remained close friends, and Emilio went on to trying to find someone else.

Adriana was 26 years old as well. She had bright red hair that she usually kept in a ponytail draped over her shoulder and blue eyes. She liked to be energetic and fun and have a good time. She frequently flirted with younger boys just for fun and pretended she was 20 or 17 or something along those lines. She also knew her limits and was every bit as motherly and smothering to the twins as most woman were, except maybe she was a bit more so. She met Lovino when he was trying to find out what he was supposed to buy for kids, and she helped him out. She was often mistaken for Lovino's wife and the twins' mother before everyone in town really got to know him. Since she knew Lovino the longest, she knew the most about him and was usually the one he went to if he needed anything.

All of them were close to each other and all of them loved each other very much, despite them only knowing each other for a few years. Diana, Emilio, and Adriana knew that Lovino was hiding something from them, but they never asked. They trusted that he would tell them in due time.

"I thought your brother was gay," Diana mused. Lovino waved her off, not bothering to give any of them an explanation.

"What's so bad about him having a kid?" Emilio asked.

"Yeah, children are absolutely adorable!" Adriana exclaimed. "How could you not want to have another child to spoil rotten every time you have the chance?" Lovino looked up to glare at her.

"Unlike you, Adriana, I don't want my kids to become absolutely spoiled and reliant on me all the time," he spat. Adriana snorted.

"Funny, you seem to spoil them all the time," she retorted. Lovino just flipped her off.

"What's so bad about your brother having a kid?" Cosimo repeated Emilio's words from earlier. Lovino sighed.

"For one, the other person in that relationship is someone I used to hate with my entire being," he began. "Also, I am expected to give him a fucking gift for the baby, and I don't know what the fuck the kid's gender will be because we can't figure out until something around 15 to 18 weeks! But it's only been five weeks! I have never been good at figuring out gifts! And there's the risk of my idiot fratello letting a certain bastard into the house!"

"Bastard? You mean that ex boyfriend of yours that we never hear about?" Cosimo asked. Lovino glared daggers at him.

"I never dated that bastard," he stated.

"But you liked him~," Adriana sang. "And you slept together." Lovino scoffed.

"Yeah, once," he said. "And he was drunk and remembers none of it. I still never want to see him again."

"Guys, Emilio is very uncomfortable with this situation," Diana spoke up and everyone looked at Emilio.

"Guys, I'm fine," Emilio said. "I am a bit uncomfortable, but that doesn't give you any reason to stop talking for my sake."

Emilio still had some feelings for Lovino, so he was a bit saddened when he heard that Lovino once liked a guy. He was even more upset when he heard that Lovino had slept with that guy before, and was a bit angry that that man hadn't remembered that time and had supposedly never cared for him in the first place. You can understand why he would be a bit uncomfortable talking about the man Lovino used to like.

"Anyway, I'm still not sure what to get Feliciano," Lovino continued, steering the conversation topic away from his past love life.

"Did your brother say you had to get him something?" Diana asked. Lovino shook his head.

"No, but I feel obligated to…" he answered.

"If he didn't say anything, I'm sure you don't have to bring him a gift," Cosimo said.

"No, you don't understand, I _have_ to," Lovino insisted. "I haven't had time to see my brother on holidays and birthdays since the kids were born, so I _need_ to get him something in order to make up for that. I have to make up for that time."

"I wish I had you for a brother," Adriana sulked. "You're so nice and caring. Much better than that little ten year old brat my parents call my little brother." Lovino laughed.

"Please, you don't know what I'm like with my brother," he said. "And I used to threaten everyone that looked interested in him. Seriously, I threw tomatoes at this one guy that tried to grope him." His friends all laughed at that.

"That sounds like you, Lovino," Emilio said, laughing. Lovino rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up you bastards," he said. "Point is, I don't know what to get for my brother."

"Why don't you just get him some baby pajamas?" Diana suggested. "Those would work for the child, won't they? And then maybe you could also get him a book on how to raise a child." Lovino snorted.

"Okay, the first one is okay and all," he began, "but those books suck, and raising a child is different for every person. Not that you would understand. I'll just give him advice. Knowing who he's with, the child will either be happy as fuck or way too mature for his or her age."

"Then write your own book on mothering," Cosimo said jokingly.

"Yeah, your kids absolutely adore you!" Adriana agreed. "People could learn a thing or two from you!" Diana and Emilio nodded in agreement and Lovino raised an eyebrow at them.

"One, I'm not a girl and therefore I am not a mother," Lovino said. "And two, I am not writing a fucking book. I'll just give him advice when he needs it."

"Will you at least get him the baby pajamas?" Diana asked. Lovino nodded.

"Yeah, I guess that'll do," Lovino relented. "I can't think of anything better. Baby food would get spoiled quickly."

* * *

Wednesday came quickly enough. Lovino woke up the twins at six o'clock in the morning so that they could drive six hours from their small town to Rome. The twins slept through most of the car ride, as they weren't used to waking up so early, so it was mostly silent, save for the sound of music coming through the radio.

Lovino didn't want to wake the twins when they came to Veneziano's large mansion in Rome, so he instead opted to carry them to the door. Chiara woke up briefly when Lovino had reached over to unbuckle her from her car seat, but after some ushering from her father, she fell right back asleep again.

Lovino carried the two up the steps to Veneziano's house and rang the doorbell. He could hear it going off from inside, and was surprised when his brother came practically flying to the door.

"Ve~, fratello, you and the bambinos are here!" Veneziano exclaimed happily, only to be shushed by his brother.

"You'll wake them," he hissed. "They woke up at six in the morning. They're tired. Let us in, please. I'll set them down in the guest bedroom and then grab what I have for you."

"You got me a present, fratello?" Veneziano asked quietly, yet excitedly. Lovino nodded and stepped into the house."

"I'll be right back." He headed up the stairs and walked down the hall, looking for the room that had been reserved for the twins. He passed Germany while he was walking, and gave him a nod as he passed him.

He completely missed the questioning and surprised look on the German's face at seeing him there.

* * *

"Italy, what are Lovino and his children doing here?" Germany asked as he approached his boyfriend.

"Ve, I wanted them to be here," Italy replied. "And they wanted to celebrate me having a child." Germany narrowed their eyes.

"Lovino is a human," he stated. "He is not supposed to know about nations, which means he is not supposed to know about your child. Does he actually know?" Italy just smiled secretively at him and bounded off to the kitchen to check on the pasta he had started making for Lovino's arrival.

Germany was frustrated. He didn't know why Italy had invited Lovino here. He felt like he should know, but he didn't. Italy didn't seem like he was keeping a secret, but it was obvious that he was. He couldn't understand why, and it greatly frustrated him. He didn't like not knowing what was going on.

Germany watched as Lovino gave Italy the present and he watched as Italy opened it and then immediately hugged Lovino as a thanks. He watched as Lovino told Italy all he needed to know about raising a child. Unsurprisingly, Lovino was brilliant in telling Italy what was important, but he also remembered that Italy wasn't alone like he apparently was, so he made sure that Italy knew not to do all the work by himself.

Germany went back upstairs after deciding that he didn't need to watch them, and just as he passed by the room the twins were supposed to be sleeping in, he heard them panicking.

"Papa?" he heard Chiara say. "Where's Papa? Papa?"

"Did Papa leave us somewhere?" Dante asked. "Papa?!" They were obviously freaking out over not being with their father, so Germany stepped into the room. The twins looked at him.

"Aren't you Zio Feli's friend?" Dante asked, looking at him. He and his sister were obviously still a bit panicked. It was no surprise. They loved their father more than anything. To wake up without him there in a room that wasn't in their house must have been scary.

"Your father is downstairs," Germany told them. "Would you like me to take you to him?" Chiara and Dante nodded eagerly and they followed Germany downstairs.

"Papa!" they cried as soon as they saw their father. "You're here!" They instantly ran toward Lovino and hugged him. They were on the verge of crying.

"Chiara, Dante, you're up," Lovino said, surprised. "Hey, shh, are you two okay?" He knelt down to hug them and look at them in concern.

"They were scared because you weren't there when they woke up," Germany explained. Lovino nodded in understanding.

"Thank you for helping them find me, then," he thanked. "I would have hated for them to start crying." Germany simply nodded to him.

The day went on, and the entire time, Germany was trying to figure out what about Lovino was so important to Italy. He felt like it was right there, like something he had forgotten. Something important.

* * *

It was just before dinner when Germany finally confronted Lovino about it. He had figured it out.

Lovino was making dinner, saying that Italy should play with the kids and that it was his treat. Germany stood behind him for a while, debating whether or not to actually tell him about what he knew, before deciding to say something.

"I know who you are," Germany finally spoke at last. Lovino stiffened almost unnoticeably before continuing what he was doing. _Ah_, Germany thought. _So he is aware of what I mean._

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I know that you were once a nation," Germany continued. "I know that you were Italy's twin brother. I know that you were South Italy, otherwise known as Romano."

There was a silence.


	11. Chapter 10: One Night

_**Okay, sooo, before I start this chapter, I would like to thank AoNoShi for helping me with the Italian accuracy! I really appreciate it, and you are amazing! Anything I didn't ask of her I did research on, so they might be a tad bit inaccurate.**_

_**Also, if you are wondering about the timeline, they are currently nearing the end of November.**_

_**Things to look out for in this chapter:**_

_**~Germany and Lovino talking**_

_**~Mentions of HRE**_

_**~Lovino and the twins have a family moment that I think you will find cute**_

**_And that is all if I don't want to give any spoilers! So please enjoy, and remember to review! I love you all, by the way._**

**_Oh yeah, and as a side note, this is the farthest I have ever gotten on a fanfic of mine, so I think this is a cause for celebration! Seriously, the farthest I've gone is seven chapters. I love writing this, so I hope you all will continue to be supportive!_**

Chapter 10

"…How did you figure it out?" Lovino asked after a long moment of silence. He didn't turn around to face him.

"I remembered," Germany answered simply. "And you weren't even being very secretive about it. You are being oddly tolerant of me though. Why? You hate me. Aren't I a 'potato bastard' or something like that?" Lovino sighed and turned around to face him.

"I understand now that you only want to protect my fratellino," Lovino explained. "I was able to think now that you didn't remember and the twins were born. You have no reason to want to manipulate my brother. You love him." He wanted to add that he also did some digging and found that Germany really was the Holy Roman Empire, Veneziano's very first love, but he didn't. That was something Germany had to discover for himself.

"Yes, I do l-love him," Germany said, blushing lightly at having to admit that. "So you've given up on your hatred, Romano?" Lovino flinched, but nodded.

"Yes, and please do not call me that anymore," he requested. "I am a human, and therefore my name is no longer Romano. I'm Lovino now." Germany nodded.

"Alright," he agreed. "I won't call you Romano."

"Thank you Germany," Lovino said. "By the way, if you are planning to marry Vene, I give you my blessing. Just make sure you don't mess it up. Also, do your part in raising your kid. I'm not letting your awkwardness be a fucking excuse." Germany blushed.

"I-I have no plans on letting Italy do all the work in raising the child!" he spluttered, avoiding the topic of marriage. Lovino chuckled and smirked, turning around to continue cooking. He would be having a lot of fun in teasing these two until they got married.

"Veeee~, Germany knows about you, Lovino!" Veneziano exclaimed happily as he hugged Germany's arm. "This calls for more pasta!" Lovino had told Veneziano that Germany remembered after they were all finished with dinner, and so he was making a big deal out of it.

"Italy, Lovino, do Chiara and Dante even know about us?" Germany asked cautiously, glancing at the twins who were casually talking to each other in the other room.

"Of course," Lovino huffed. "I can't keep a thing from them. They deserved to know." Germany nodded.

"I wanna make more pasta as a celebration!" Veneziano cut in.

"Hold on, Vene, I already made a lot of pasta earlier, so I'm sure everyone is full already," Lovino told him. Veneziano pouted.

"Fine, but I still wanna celebrate," he whined. Lovino laughed and rubbed his brother's head.

"Veneziano, it's just Germany," Lovino sighed. "It's not like you learned I just got a new boyfriend."

"Do you?" Veneziano asked eagerly. Lovino gave him a pointed look that obviously meant that he didn't, and Veneziano pouted.

"Out of curiosity, Lovino, where did the children come from?" Germany asked. "Are you their biological father?"

"Yes, I am their biological father," Lovino answered, rolling his eyes. "I didn't steal them nor are they adopted, obviously."

"Who did you do… it with?" Germany asked, a bit uncomfortable with actually saying the word 'sex.' This made Veneziano laugh.

"…Spain," Lovino told him reluctantly. "He got me pregnant. That's why I became human."

"So when you were pregnant, that's why you went into hiding?"

"Yep."

"Why did you become human? Spain would have been happy to take responsibility for the children."

"Spain was drunk when it happened. It was an accident. He didn't even know. Didn't you see how he acted when I had disappeared?"

"He acted as he always did."

"Exactly. He obviously didn't care that I was missing. I couldn't take it, so I became human and erased all of nations' memories of me."

"Does anyone else remember?"

"America and Canada."

"Who?"

"The guy who beat you back in World War II and instilled fear into the hearts of your Germans."

"Oh… Are Chiara and Dante nations?"

"They were originally when they were born, but they instantly became human with me since they were only just born."

"What nations were they?"

"Chiara was Sicily and Dante was Madrid. Is that it? I'd like to go to my children now."

"That is all."

Lovino nodded to Germany and made his way into the living room where the twins were sitting, which was beside the dining room where they were talking.

"Ciao Papà!" the twins chorused at the sight of their father.

"Ciao Chiara, Dante," Lovino greeted, smiling to them. "Why don't we play a board game with your uncle Feli and Ludwig?"

"Ludwig's a new zio now?" Dante asked. Lovino nodded and the twins grinned.

"So, let's play a board game," Lovino said, clapping his hands. "I'll go grab one from the closet and you tell Feliciano and Ludwig, okay?" He leaned down to whisper in the twins' ears. "And if you want to mess with your new uncle, call him Zio Potato, alright?" He smirked and the twins nodded, giggling. The twins ran off to get their new uncles and Lovino went to the closet to find a board game.

They ended up playing a game called Tombola, which Lovino ended up winning. It was a game played around Christmas in Italy, and since it was nearing the end of November, they had decided to play it. The game is like an Italian version of bingo _**(According to the internet, I don't actually know)**_.

After playing the board game, Lovino put Chiara and Dante to bed in guest room on the king sized bed. He tucked them into the bed and was about to leave when Chiara spoke up.

"Papà, can you tell us a story?" she asked.

"You haven't told us one in a long time," Dante added. Lovino nodded as he sat down beside them on the bed.

"Of course," he agreed. "This is a story of a family. One day, a woman went to her father's house with her four children, and the grandfather gave them four golden pears. He told them that he could not find another pear ripe enough, so they would have to divide the pears up between the five of them. They had no idea what to do, until the eldest daughter, Joan, came up with a solution.

"'This one pear with me and my sister makes three,' she said, holding up the pears. 'This pear with my two brothers also makes three. These two pears with my mother makes three as well. It seems that this works out just fine.'

"The children were happy with the way that worked out, but the mother, although pleased, insisted that the children all take the pears. The grandfather, pleased with what Joan had come up with, gave her a bunch of beautiful flowers as a reward for her plan and for her kindness."

"Papà, what was the point of that story?" Dante asked after letting the ending process in his mind for a while.

"Well, Dante, I think the reason for that story was to teach you a lesson," Lovino explained. "Give the best of what you can, and surely you will receive the best of what can be given back to you." Dante and Chiara nodded.

"Papà, I'm still not tired," Chiara said. "Can we have a lullaby?"

"Hmm, alright," Lovino said. "I might not have the best voice though." He began to sing a very old Italian lullaby from a long time ago, and when he was finished, Chiara and Dante had been lulled to sleep. Lovino smiled lovingly down at them and kissed their foreheads, whispering a goodnight to them before leaving the room and silently closing the door.

"Lovi, I haven't heard you sing since years before the twins had been born," Veneziano commented from where he had been listening by the door. Lovino jumped and glared at him.

"Don't scare me like that," he hissed quietly so as not to wake the twins. "And don't fucking call me Lovi. It's Lovino. Why were you even listening?" Veneziano shrugged. They started to walk down the stairs.

"I know I've said this before, but you act so different around the twins," Veneziano commented. "Motherhood suits you."

"I'm a fucking guy, you idiot," Lovino said. "But yeah, I guess I have changed. I don't know why, but I just know that I love them and so I guess that's why I'm going soft. It's weird, but as long as I don't get any shit for it, I'm okay with that." Veneziano nodded and smiled.

"It's really cute, Lovi!" he exclaimed and Lovino shushed him, a bit paranoid that the twins would wake up. He decided not to comment on what his brother had just said and instead followed him into the living room, where Germany was searching through a bunch of channels on the couch. Veneziano plopped himself on Germany's lap while Lovino sat on the other side of the couch. He really did not want to deal with their cutesy attitude.

They spent the night watching any interesting movies they could find, and when it was 1 AM, Chiara walked into the room. Lovino turned down the volume on the TV to listen to his daughter. He walked over to her and kneeled down to her height.

"What is it, Chi?" he asked, concerned.

"I had a nightmare," Chiara answered, hugging the small blanket she had with her tightly. "Will you come to bed with me?" Lovino nodded.

"Of course," he told her. He picked her up into his arms and looked at Veneziano and Germany.

"I'm going to go to bed with her," he announced.

"Okay, Lovino," Veneziano said. "I hope Chiara is alright." Lovino nodded and then walked to the guest room upstairs. Upon entering the room, Lovino put Chiara down and got undressed. He climbed into bed and helped her up into the bed. Dante stirred beside him.

"Papà?" Dante mumbled sleepily.

"Yes, it's Papà," Lovino whispered. "Go to sleep." Dante nodded and instantly fell back to sleep, snuggling up against his father's side. Lovino wrapped his arms around his children and helped Chiara go back to sleep again.

All in all, the day had actually been pretty enjoyable. It was one of the best days Lovino had had in a while.

The next morning, Lovino woke up to the sound of something crashing, which had effectively woken up Chiara and Dante as well.

"Papà, what was that?" Chiara asked.

"I don't know…" Lovino said. "It was probably Feliciano dropping something. I'll go check. You two stay here." Chiara and Dante nodded and Lovino got out of bed. He headed down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Feli, what did you do?" Lovino called before he actually entered the kitchen, only to stop as he saw that the person there wasn't his brother. Oh no, it was someone else entirely.

"Lovi! You're here!" Spain exclaimed.

"Why are you here so early, and what did you do?" Lovino asked, getting straight to the point and deciding to look around. He spotted a large pan on the ground and sighed. Spain just laughed sheepishly.

"I wanted to surprise Feliciano by coming here and making breakfast, but I dropped the pan!" Spain explained happily. Lovino rolled his eyes and picked up the pan.

"Right, of course, as if that isn't fucking obvious," he said sarcastically. "If you'll excuse me, I have to tell the twins that everything is alright."

"Ah, those adorable children of yours are here too?" Spain asked brightly.

"Of fucking course, you idiot!" Lovino said. "I wouldn't leave them alone in a house six hours away from here for an entire day!"

"Oh you have a point," Spain laughed. Lovino rolled his eyes and didn't bother to reply before headed back upstairs.

"Chiara, Dante, everything's fine," he told the twins, who were sitting impatiently on the bed. "You remember Antonio?" Chiara and Dante nodded. "Yeah, he was making something for Feli and dropped the fucking pan. So you two can come downstairs." Chiara and Dante grinned and jumped off the bed. They grabbed onto their father's hands and dragged him back down the stairs.

"Let's go Papà!" they cheered. "We want to say hi!" Lovino laughed and didn't start a fuss over being dragged by them. As soon as the twins saw Spain, they tackled him in a hug.

"Hello Zio Toni!" the twins greeted happily. Spain laughed and hugged them back.

"Hello Dante, hello Chiara," he said with an equal amount of happiness.

Lovino watched the twins talk rapidly to Spain from his place in the doorway. He felt a pang in his chest, and his knew it was because they should have been calling him Dad or Padrè or something like that, not Zio. But they didn't know, and Spain didn't know, and he probably never would. Lovino knew that he would grow old now that he was human, so eventually Spain would have to cut off more contact with him and the twins. That would mean the twins would never know of their other father and Spain would never know of his twin children.

With these thoughts in mind, Lovino turned away from Spain and the twins in order to hide the tears threatening to spill over. Seeing them together made him feel like they were a family, as if Lovino was still 'Romano South Italy' and he had told Spain about the twins and he helped raise them. It was like they were living in 'Romano's old home in Rome and Spain would be playing with the kids while 'Romano' watched from the sidelines.

It hurt, it really did, and Lovino calmly, but quickly, made his way to the bathroom in order to let a few tears fall. After calming himself, he splashed water on his face and made sure he looked normal before he went back to the kitchen where the children were watching Spain cook.

"Ah, there you are Papà!" Dante chirped upon seeing his father.

"Papà, where did you go?" Chiara asked.

"I just needed to do something," Lovino told them, kissing the tops of their heads. Chiara squirmed at the display of affection, which made Lovino chuckle. He didn't want to tell them what really happened. They would surely be worried, and he wouldn't be able to handle that.

Lovino listened to the children talk about something and he tried not to pay attention to the fact that he was painfully aware of Spain listening in on the conversation.

When Veneziano saw Spain, he tackled him in a hug of course and thanked him for making breakfast. Then they all sat down and ate, while Lovino ignored Spain the best he could without seeming suspicious. ("Although this is not as good as Lovi's cooking, it is still pretty good," he commented after taking a bite of the food.

"Really? Haha, I'll have to try your cooking one day!" Spain had laughed.

"No way," Lovino instantly rejected. "And don't call me Lovi. Both of you.")

Lovino was about to leave with the children when Spain stopped him just before he walked out of the house.

"Wait!" Spain said, grabbing onto his wrist. Lovino turned to look at him with a confused look.

"What the fuck do you want?" he asked. "I have to go home. I have work." _And I want to leave before the other nations get here._

"Can I have your number?" Spain blurted out.

"What?"

"Your… your number, can I have it?" Spain repeated, blushing slightly as if he hadn't meant to ask so quickly. Lovino glanced behind Spain to see Veneziano nodding quickly, and even Germany had an urging look in his eyes.

(The night before, Germany had a talk with Lovino about how he should tell Spain, but Lovino continued to say no. He didn't want to tell him. Germany kept insisting, saying that Spain at least deserved to know. This is the reason why Germany wanted Lovino to give Spain his number)

Seeing as how Veneziano and Germany were making him tell Spain, Lovino had to nod.

"Alright," he sighed. "I'll give you my fucking number. Give me your phone." He held out his hand and Spain happily handed it over. Lovino entered his number into Spain's contact list (it seemed that when he made everyone forget, his contact number had mysteriously disappeared. It probably had something to do with the magic surrounding the Nation-Human Contract) and then gave it back to him. "There. Now you have my number."

"Yay, thank you Lovi!" Spain exclaimed happily, giving him a big hug that had him gasping for air.

"Don't fucking call me that you bastard!" Lovino yelled with a red face after he was let go. "I'm leaving! The children are waiting for me in the car! Good bye!" With that, he stormed off to the car, leaving Spain with a goofy smile on his face.


	12. Chapter 11: Four Days

_**Hello~! I already have the next two chapters after this one planned out, but you won't get them until much later, unfortunately. You will either love me or hate me for this, but whatever. I'll give you something to make you guys feel better: One of them is a Christmas special, and it will have a great significance to the plot.  
**_

_**Anyway, things to look out for in this chapter!**_

_**~More of Lovino's friends**_

_**~You finally learn where Lovino lives**_

_**~I had to do research on the place where he lives, so I apologize for inaccuracy**_

_**~A sorta abrupt ending, I'm sorry. I can't write the rest of what's going to happen, so yeah**_

_**Also, I'm pretty sure I neglected to tell you this, but instead of Papa, I changed it to Papà because that is the correct way of saying "Dad" in Italian. So yeah. Anyway, please review after reading, and enjoy!**_

Chapter 11

"My. God. Damn. Phone. Will. Not. Stop. Blowing. Up," Lovino groaned, hitting his head against the café table after each word. Emilio and Adriana exchanged weird looks before trying to stop their friend from causing any brain damage to his head.

It had only been three days since Lovino had visited his brother and since then, Spain would not stop texting him the stupidest things, like what he had for dinner, or what he was drinking, or how he saw an adorable dog passing by. Lovino felt as if he was about to lose his mind if this kept going on. Seriously. It had only been THREE DAYS.

"Why don't you just block him then?" Adriana suggested. Lovino snapped his head up, as if he had just had a great revelation, before groaning again and slamming his head back on the table, making Emilio flinch.

"I can't," he said, his voice slightly muffled. "My brother is really trying to get me to talk to this guy, and he would probably ask my brother for my address so that he could come to my house and bug me about it."

"Are you sure he would do something like that?" Emilio asked uncertainly. "I mean, you hardly know the guy." Lovino tensed as he looked up at them, but only barely. Emilio and Adriana didn't notice.

"…He seems like the guy to do something like that," Lovino said simply as his phone buzzed. "That's probably him again!" He checked his phone, and sure enough he had gotten a text from Spain, reading: _Lovi, I got a Starbucks coffee, and the lady at the counter put her number on it by mistake, I think! Weird, huh?_ Attached to the text was a picture of Spain holding the coffee in front of him to show the number on it, a smile on his face as always. Lovino rolled his eyes and Emilio and Adriana got out of their seats to look over his shoulder at the text.

"Oh, he's hot," Adriana commented.

"I would let him fuck me," Emilio added, causing Lovino to turn slightly red. "How's his ass?"

"Godly," Lovino answered automatically before realizing what he had just said. "Wait, that's not the point! The point is, he's always sending me stupid stuff like this!"

"Hun, if I got a picture of that face every time I got a text like that, I would not be complaining," Adriana told him. Emilio nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, why are you complaining so much?" he asked. "Does he have something to do with this mysterious past of yours?" Lovino flinched.

"That isn't the point!" he cried. "The point is that he is really annoying me, and my constantly buzzing phone is really a distraction when I'm trying to work!"

"Then why haven't you just told him to stop texting you 24/7?" Emilio suggested in an exasperated tone. Lovino groaned in realization.

"Why the fuck haven't I thought of that?" he exclaimed. "I'll do that right now!" As he unlocked his phone (his lock screen was of Veneziano, Canada, and America, and his home screen was of him and his children, if you're interested), he got another text from Spain. He froze immediately upon reading it.

"What does it say?" Adriana asked, looking over his shoulder with Emilio again.

"Oh… that's not good…" Emilio muttered, although there was amusement evident in his tone. It was obvious Lovino was about to explode.

"WHAT DOES HE MEAN HE'S VISITING OTRANTO?!"

* * *

Otranto was quite the beautiful city, and it was, of course, in Southern Italy. It was located on the Salento peninsula, so it was near water. Coincidentally, this is where Lovino had decided to live after becoming human. He decided to live in an estate where he could overlook the water when he needed to calm down, and occasionally he liked to watch the sunset over the water. It seemed like a girly thing to do, but he liked it. He was bi anyway.

That day, it just so happened that Lovino really, really needed to calm down after learning that his asshole of a brother told Spain where he lived, and he immediately booked a flight to come the next day. Luckily, Veneziano hadn't told him his address.

Lovino read a book as he listened to the soft waves, and he felt himself getting calmer as he let the book take up all his thoughts. At some point, the sun had begun to set, but he didn't notice. He was too immersed into the book.

"Papà?" the twins called from the open doorway. "Can you come inside now?" Lovino snapped out of his trance and looked at his children.

"Right, of course," he said. He stood up and stretched, then allowed the twins to take his hands and bring him inside.

"Is everything okay, Papà?" Chiara asked. Lovino sighed.

"Everything's fine, bambina," he assured her. "But Antonio is visiting tomorrow. He doesn't know where we live, but he knows the general area. It was a bit sudden, so I am a bit frantic." Chiara and Dante's faces lit up.

"Zio Toni?" Dante said. "He's coming?" Lovino nodded, and Dante turned to Chiara and they clasped their hands together as they jumped up and down, cheering.

"Wow, you two really like him," Lovino muttered. They didn't hear him.

* * *

The next morning, Spain was in Otranto and in the area where Lovino lived. He didn't expect Lovino to pick him up from the airport, so he had taken the airport shuttle to his hotel in Otranto. Immediately after taking a short nap, a shower, and getting into new clothes, he headed out to see if he could find Lovino anywhere. It was a long shot, but that didn't mean he wouldn't try.

After wandering around for about an hour and getting a lot of leering looks by many people both men and women, Spain decided to stop at a café. In the most cliché move ever (Lovino would later blame God and say that he's been reading to many romance novels), Spain spotted Lovino in all his rugged sexy glory. Lovino was sitting next to two women, and across from two men.

But when has unknown company ever stopped him?

"Lovi~, I found you~!" Spain called cheerfully to him as he skipped across the café to reach him. Lovino took one glance at him and instantly banged his head on the table, but Spain paid no attention to this fact as he beamed down at him.

"What do you want?" Lovino asked, glaring up at him as he lifted his head from the table. A red mark was noticeable on his forehead. Spain pouted at his response.

"I've been looking for you for an hour!" he whined. "And now I finally find you and you give me the cold shoulder!"

"Oh, this is the guy you've been complaining about?" the man with light brown hair asked Lovino, who nodded.

"I told you he's hot!" the redheaded woman exclaimed.

"And I am straight, thank you very much," the man deadpanned.

"But I'm not!" a dark haired man sitting next to the other man chirped. He gave Spain a wink, but he just ignored it. Despite being a nation, he still only had eyes for Lovino.

"Who are your friends, Lovi?" he asked as he slid into the seat beside the more aloof man. He wanted to know the type of people Lovino associated himself with.

"I am not telling you," Lovino said childishly. The brunette woman sitting next to him elbowed him in the stomach, and he glared at her. She ignored him.

"Lovino, don't be rude," she scolded softly, and then looked at Spain. "I apologize for him. My name is Diana, and on the other side of Lovino is Adriana."

"Nice to meetcha, handsome!" Adriana said, smirking. Spain smiled back at her.

"The aloof one across from us is Cosimo and the gay one that's looking at you like you're fresh meat is Emilio," Diana finished. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"And you as well!" Spain said cheerfully.

"Damn Lov, I don't see why you don't like this guy," Emilio said, ignoring Lovino remark of "Don't call me that, you bastard." "He's cute and nice and according to you, his ass is godly." Spain raised an eyebrow at Lovino, and said Italian blushed and looked away.

"I-I never said that!" Lovino lied, badly. Emilio rolled his eyes, but didn't bother arguing with him.

"So you've been looking, huh?" Spain asked slyly.

"Shut the fuck up you goddamn bastard," Lovino snapped. Spain laughed him off.

"So what brings you to our town?" Diana asked, trying to steer the conversation away from Lovino's love life.

"Ah, I learned that Lovino lived around here, so I wanted to visit him!" Spain answered. "But I didn't get to know where he lived." He pouted.

"That'd be a bit stalkerish if you found out where he lived without him telling you," Cosimo pointed out.

"I'm not a stalker!" Spain cried. "Right, Lovi?" He looked at Lovino with puppy eyes, but considering Lovino lived with two five year olds and his friend (?) was Italy, he wasn't very impressed.

"Are you telling me that me bumping into you in America on Halloween night in a crowded town and you just so happening to come to Feliciano's house before I left was simply coincidence?" Lovino asked incredulously.

"Yes!" Spain exclaimed. He honestly didn't think he was being stalkerish, but he did try to pry information about Lovino's whereabouts from Italy, so maybe he was acting a little bit like a stalker. But he wasn't! Really!

"That is too weird to be accidental," Adriana remarked.

"I thought you would be on my side!" Spain said. Adriana smirked at him.

"Hun, you're cute, but even that is a bit weird for me," she informed him. "Seriously, what are the chances you happened to be in the same place at the same time in California all the way in _America_?"

"We have the same friends," Spain told her, "and we were invited to the same party." At this, Adriana turned to look at Lovino incredulously

"Okay, maybe that might have been coincidental, but still!" Lovino admitted. Adriana laughed and ruffled his hair. Lovino bat her away, but that only made her laugh harder. Despite his apparent annoyance, it was obvious he was having fun. Spain was a bit jealous. He wanted to be able to do that to Lovino without getting pushed away and called a bastard like he was sure he would. He was also quite sure that the only thing he would get from Lovino would be annoyance rather than the hidden joy the handsome Italian seemed to have around these people.

"Lovi, you're probably trying to get us to turn against this handsome man that is obviously head over heels for you!" Emilio exclaimed. Spain almost blushed, but he didn't. Was he really that obvious?

"…No I'm not," Lovino lied, again. "And how would you know that?"

"Everyone has been in love with you at some point, and I am still in love with you," Emilio brazenly told him. "It's pretty obvious who loves who at this point, especially when it comes to you." _Is everyone a competition in Lovino's love?_ Spain mentally cried.

"I still don't understand how you can be so shameless at admitting you still like me," Lovino murmured, stirring his drink with his straw. Emilio shrugged and smiled at him. Spain felt the air get a bit awkward as Cosimo and Adriana looked away from the two.

"So, Lovi, where are the twins?" Spain asked, trying to get rid of the awkward tension in the air. It worked, as Lovino snapped his head to look at him and Emilio started eating.

"I left them at home with a babysitter," Lovino answered. "I needed to talk to these guys, but I didn't expect you to show up here."

"Aww, that's so disappointing!" Spain said. "I really wanted to see those two! Hey, Lovi, can I-?"

"No," Lovino interrupted before he could finish.

"I didn't even get to ask!" Spain cried.

"So?" Lovino said. "You want to know where I live, and the answer is no. You want it in another language? Nein. Nyet. Non. No." Spain pouted.

"You're so mean, Lovi!" he whined.

"Don't fucking call me that," Lovino told him. He looked bored with the conversation already.

"Lovino, just let him," Diana said. "What would be the harm?" Lovino looked reluctant to do what she said, but he did so anyway.

Spain was curious as to why Lovino was so against hanging out with him. As far as he knew, he never did anything to him, other than be a bit too curious for his own good perhaps. He just wanted Lovino to like him. Was that so wrong? As he thought more about the whole thing, his head started to hurt, and he held it in his hands as he shut his eyes tightly.

"Are you okay?" Cosimo asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. Spain looked at him and the headache began to lessen a bit.

"Yeah, just a headache," he answered, brushing his hand away. "It's nothing." He failed to notice the way Lovino's hands tightened around his drink.

* * *

Lovino wasn't an idiot. He knew that headaches meant remembering. He knew this because once a nation became human and one of the other nations began getting headaches before they remembered. He didn't remember which nations they were, but it was happening. He didn't want Spain to remember. It was bad enough that Germany remembered.

Reluctantly, Lovino led Spain to where he lived after he bid goodbye to his friends. He really wanted to hate Diana for making him show Spain where lived, but he was unable to because she was so damn motherly to him a lot. He'd never had a mother, but that was fucking obvious.

"Wow, your house is so cool!" Spain commented as he looked around. Lovino rolled his eyes and opened the door to the house.

"It's nothing special, you bastard," he said, taking off his shoes.

"Lovino, you're back," a mafia guy by the name of Ignazio greeted. "And with a friend?" Lovino shook his head.

"No, Diana just insisted I bring the bastard here," he told him. "Where are the twins?"

"Making cookies," Ignazio answered. Lovino slapped his hand to his forehead.

"My house will be burned down!" he exclaimed and ran to the kitchen where Chiara and Dante had effectively managed to have a food fight.

"Oh, uh, ciao Papà!" the twins greeted nervously. Lovino sighed at the sight of them and picked them up.

"Honestly you two," he said. "You ruined the kitchen. Bastard, I hope you don't mind if I give these two a bath, do you?" Spain shook his head.

"Of course not!" he said. "You do what you need to!"

"Papà, I don't want a bath!" Dante whined. Lovino ignored him and looked at Ignazio, who was standing sheepishly behind Spain.

"Ignazio, clean this up," he ordered. Ignazio nodded and began to clean the kitchen, with the help of Spain.

After giving the twins a bath and a good scolding, Lovino brought them back downstairs and told them that Spain was just going to be hanging out in their home for the day before he had to leave. The twins were quite cheerful at that, and as soon as they saw Spain again, they tackled him in a hug.

"Ignazio, you can leave now," Lovino told him. Ignazio nodded

"Goodbye, Lovino," he said and then got ready to leave before heading out.

"How long will you be staying, Zio Antonio?" Chiara asked.

"Oh, not long!" Spain answered. "Just for today and tomorrow and then I'm leaving again!" Chiara and Dante pouted.

"Aww, can't you stay longer?" Dante asked. Spain shook his head.

"Lo siento," he apologized. "I already booked my flight for 7:00 PM tomorrow. And I have work."

"Well then, we will make sure you have fun while you're here!" the twins chorused.

"Chiara, Dante, you saw him not a week ago, calm down," Lovino said, slightly amused. Chiara and Dante shook their heads and clung to Spain's arm.

"Never!" they cried childishly, and Lovino laughed.

"Whatever, I'm going to put on a movie," he said. Chiara and Dante cheered and dragged Spain into the living room behind Lovino.


	13. Chapter 12: One Day and One Night

_**Oh my God, all my followers of this story are so sweet! I love all of you guys so much! The reviews I got on the last chapter were so nice, so thank you! I should have the next chapter up by Christmas or Christmas Eve if everything goes on schedule! Buuut on the 22nd, I am going to San Francisco for Christmas with family so I don't know how much time I will have considering my mom drags us out everywhere like tourists even though she lived there for half her life and we got there every year! So yeah, I'll try to get the next chapter up soon. But I think after this chapter and the next two chapters, you will hate me, so I am so sorry in advance! *not really***_

_**Things to look out for in this chapter:**_

_**~Shortness**_

_**~Time skips**_

_**~Rushing because I didn't know what else to put for this chapter**_

_**~Nothing else because spoilers~!**_

_**Hope you enjoy this chapter, and remember to review at the end! Thank you!**_

Chapter 12

"_Rise and shine, Lovi, it's a beautiful day today!" Spain exclaimed enthusiastically as he opened the blinds on the window, effectively waking up Lovino from his sleep. Lovino squinted as the sunlight hit him and he glared at Spain._

"_I have no work today and I want to sleep in, what do you want?" he growled. Spain laughed._

"_Come on, you can't lay in bed all day!" he said cheerfully. "You need to drive the twins to school!" Lovino groaned and brought the covers of his blanket over his head._

"_Can't you do it?" he asked, voice slightly muffled from the blanket. "I'm banned from using my car because I almost crashed the last time I used it."_

"_You need to be more careful, Lovi," Spain reprimanded jokingly. Lovino poked his head out of his blankets, only to throw his pillow at Spain._

"_Shut up," he grumbled, sitting up. "Now I'm awake. But you still need to drive the twins to school." Spain laughed, as he always did._

"_Sure, sure, okay Lovi," he said. "I'll make us breakfast first! Come down when you're dressed!" Lovino just nodded and watched Spain head back down the stairs. After a few minutes of debating whether or not to try to go back to sleep, he decided that he'd probably disappoint the twins by not waking up to say bye, so he got dressed in jeans and a red and white long-sleeved shirt._

_Lovino headed downstairs, where the twins were watching Spain make breakfast. He leaned against the doorway in amusement as he watched the twins and Spain interact happily. Dante noticed Lovino at the doorway and smiled brightly._

"_Good morning Papà!" Dante chirped. This got Spain and Chiara's attention, and they both smiled once they saw Lovino._

"_Buongiorno Papà!" Chiara said happily._

"_Hello again Lovi!" Spain said. Lovino smiled._

"_Buongiorno," he greeted, walking over to kiss Chiara and Dante on the forehead, although Chiara squirmed as she always did when she was shown affection. She would definitely turn into a tsundere like her Papà._

"_You're just in time Lovi!" Spain exclaimed. "Breakfast is almost ready!" He put the plates down on the table, and Chiara and Dante happily dug in as Lovino reprimanded them on their manners._

"_Kids, it's almost 7:50, we have to get going," Spain said. Chiara and Dante looked at the clock and then hurriedly stood up with their bags._

"_Good bye Papà!" they chimed, kissing their father on each cheek. "We love you!" Lovino smiled._

"_I love you too," he replied. "Now get going. You don't want to be late, do you?" The twins nodded and hurriedly headed out the door._

"_I'll be back in a bit, Lovi," Spain said, smiling. Lovino nodded._

"_I'll be here," he said. Then Spain left with the twins._

* * *

_Lovino was reading on the porch when he felt hands covering his eyes, and black engulfed his vision._

"_Guess who~," a familiar voice sang playfully. Lovino forced the hands away from his face and turned to glare at the Spaniard standing behind him with a grin._

"_Don't you dare do that again, you bastard," he hissed. Spain laughed._

"_Aww, but I like to~," he whined. Lovino rolled his eyes and shoved his book harshly into Spain's chest._

"_Put that book away for me," he ordered. "Then we can talk." Spain pouted, but walked away and put the book where it should be on the Lovino's bookshelf._

"_I didn't realize how many books you have now," he commented as he sat on the chair across from Lovino, who shrugged._

"_It's peaceful," he replied simply. "I love the twins, but it's nice to not have to deal with how hyper they are all the time. And I have a day off today, so I want to make the best of it." Spain nodded silently, then grinned._

"_I have an idea~!" he sang, standing up abruptly. "We are going on a date!" Lovino choked on nothing._

"_D-date?!" he spluttered. "No way in hell bastardo! I am staying here where I don't have to deal with all the annoying bastards that live in the city!" Spain just laughed and took his hands, forcing him up out of his seat._

"_Come on~ Lovi!" he whined. "We haven't gone on one in a while with all our work and the kids and stuff! We finally have some alone time! We need to do something!" Lovino yanked his hands out of his grip and crossed his arms, grumbling angrily to himself._

"_Fine," he muttered. "We'll go on the stupid date." Spain's face turned even brighter, if that was possible, and Lovino glared at him._

"_Stop smiling like that, idiot!" he said. "You're going to make me blind!" Spain did nothing but laugh and grab his hand, dragging him off the porch and back inside the house._

"_Lo siento, Lovi!" he said happily._

"_Don't call me that!" Lovino yelled angrily. Spain ignored him and continued to drag Lovino out into the city, laughing the entire way as Lovino cursed him loudly._

"_YOU ARE SUCH A FUCKING BASTARD!"_

* * *

"_I don't know how to ice skate," Lovino deadpanned as he looked at the ice skating rink Spain had dragged him to. Spain turned to him and gaped._

"_What?" he gasped. "In all the years I've known you, I didn't know you didn't know how to ice skate! Why didn't you tell me?" Lovino just looked at him impassively._

"_I never saw the need to learn," he answered._

"_But what if the twins wanted to ice skate?" Spain asked. Lovino shrugged._

"_Then I'd let them, but you'd be the one to hold them because I haven't a clue," he said._

"_This won't do!" Spain declared. "I am teaching you how to ice skate! Let's go get some ice skates!" He dragged Lovino to the counter to rent the ice skates, and he ignored the glare he was getting, as he always did._

* * *

"_You can't make me get on that death trap!" Lovino declared, standing outside of the entrance to the rink. Spain was already on the ice, trying to get Lovino to come on as well._

"_Pleeeeaaaasseee Lovi?" he pleaded. "Think of how disappointed the twins would be if they asked to go ice skating with you, but you didn't know how!" Lovino glared daggers at him. That was a low blow, and he knew it._

"_Fine, you bastard!" he relented. "But only for the twins!" Spain grinned and carefully led Lovino onto the ice. Lovino almost immediately fell over, but was help up by Spain's arm around his waist._

"_How do you even move on these damn things without falling over?" he grumbled as Spain guided him across the ice. Spain laughed at his despair._

"_Lovino 'manly man' Vargas is being beaten by an ice rink," he teased, and Lovino glared at him again._

"_I hate you," he spat._

"_Well, if you hate me so much, I guess I'll have to let you skate on your own then," said Spain slyly, slowly taking his arm back from Lovino's waist. Lovino immediately snatched his hand back._

"_Don't you dare," he hissed. "I am not falling because of you." Spain chuckled and went back to guiding him across the rink._

"_You're so cute, Lovi~," he sang affectionately. "Come on, now you move like this…"_

* * *

"_So how was your day Papà?" Chiara asked as she and Dante got into the back seat of the Spain's car._

"_Antonio was being an asshole and we must agree to never let him choose where we go out to eat," Lovino answered bluntly._

"_What happened?" Dante asked with a laugh._

"_He made me go ice skating, in which I fell multiple times so now my ass fucking hurts, and then he chose to eat lunch at some American place!" Lovino exclaimed. "_American._" He shivered and Spain pouted as he drove._

"_Oh Papà, are you okay?" Dante asked._

"_Yes, Dante, I am fine," Lovino replied. "But don't trust Antonio anymore."_

"_Yes Papà!" the twins chimed with a joking smile._

"_Why do you two love your Papà so much more than me?" Spain whined. The twins just giggled in reply._

* * *

"_Chiara, Dante, it's nine o'clock, you should be getting to bed," Lovino called later that night. He walked into the living room where Spain was playing with the twins._

"_But Papà~!" they whined._

"_But Lovi~!" Spain whined with them._

"_No, you have to go to bed now if you want to have energy for tomorrow," Lovino scolded. "Come on, I'll tuck you in. And Antonio, stop encouraging them!" He ushered the twins out of the room as Spain pouted. Lovino let the two get dressed and put them to bed, tucking them in._

"_Goodnight, Chiara, goodnight, Dante," he said softly as he kissed their foreheads._

"_Goodnight Papà," they chimed. Lovino smiled and exited the room, quietly shutting the door. He headed back to his own room and got undressed. As soon as he had taken off his pants, he felt cool arms wrap around his waist._

"_Let me go, Antonio," Lovino sighed._

"_No, you haven't let me cuddle you all day," Spain said stubbornly._

"_I'll let you once you let me go to bed," Lovino said. Spain shook his head and instead carried Lovino over to the bed and dropped him._

"_Hey! Bastardo!" he yelped. Spain laughed lightly and crawled underneath the covers next to him. He wrapped his arms around him again and breathed in his scent._

"_Te amo Roma," he murmured. Romano sighed._

"_Ti amo España."_

* * *

Lovino's eyes flew up and he stared at the white ceiling above him, panting lightly and trying to calm his racing heart.

Spain had already left the night before.


	14. Chapter 13: Christmas Special!

_**To the people confused about the ending the last chapter, yes, that was a dream. It was a dream of what would have happened if Lovino told Spain about the twins and just took the chance. Also, I did it! Merry Christmas you guys! Here is your present!  
**_

**_Things to look out for in this chapter:_**

**_~PruCan, GerIta, hinted AmeriPan? Maybe?_**

**_~More ice skating because why not?_**

**_~I only did research on how Italians celebrate Christmas, but this is how I know how to celebrate Christmas, but there is a mention of a normal Italian Christmas, so._**

**_I am so sorry for cultural inaccuracies, but I didn't know how to write about a culture's Christmas that I knew nothing about! I am very sorry!_**

**_((In news about me, I got Hetalia bracelets, a black fluffy jacket with ears (of which I will pretend to be 2p!Kumajiro, a Doctor Who poster, and a MOTHERFUCKING TABLET WITH A KEYBOARD FUCK YEA BITCHES))_**

**_Anyway, the ending is a bit rushed, but I wrote 11 pages for you, so be happy! I don't normally write 11 pages for one chapter! Also I might also do a New Years chapter. We'll see if I have the time. Enjoy, and please review!_**

Chapter 13

Three weeks later…

Lovino stared at the group of people at his door with a deadpan look. Some smiled, the other looks away awkwardly.

"…And you guys are here because…?" he finally spoke.

"It's Christmas, Lovi!" his brother chirped. "You shouldn't be alone on Christmas!" Lovino continued to stare at the group that consisted of Veneziano, Canada, America, Japan, Prussia, Spain, and Germany. Why were Japan and Prussia there? He honestly had no clue. (Veneziano still wasn't showing as pregnant, as he was a first time 'mother' and only about ten weeks along)

"It is literally four o'clock in the morning, I am in my boxers, and I am cold," Lovino said dully. "You couldn't have come here later? And I wouldn't be on my own. I have Chiara and Dante with me. Plus, I don't have presents for you."

"Dude, that's totally okay!" America exclaimed. "We don't need presents! There's a reason we came here! It's because you are totally awesome!"

"Awesome is my word!" Prussia snapped.

"No way dude, tons of people use that word!" America retorted.

"What Alfred meant is that we just wanted to spend Christmas with you and the twins," Canada spoke up, taking the attention away from the bickering idiots beside him.

"Uh-huh…" Lovino hummed, nodding. "And why are albino and otaku here?"

"Feliciano-kun insisted and told me a bit about you," Japan answered, implying that Veneziano had told him about Lovino's former status. Lovino nodded and looked at Canada expectantly, silently asking him to get his boyfriend to explain himself.

"Umm, Gil," Canada said quietly, tugging on Prussia's shirt every so softly. "Lovino wants to know why you're here." Prussia looked at his boyfriend, and then at the Italian staring at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh!" Prussia said. "I'm here because I want to know who this friend of my adorable little Birdie's is!" He hugged Canada around the waist with a big smile. Canada blushed and Lovino rolled his eyes.

"Well, I have two other spare rooms, but the rest of you have to sleep in the living room," he said. "And don't wake the kids. Matthew, you and your boyfriend can share one room, and Feli, you and Ludwig can take the other. Deal?"

"What about me?" America exclaimed.

"Do you want to spend the night with your brother and his boyfriend?" Lovino asked, raising an eyebrow. America pouted, then turned to Japan.

"Keeks, we'll have to share the couch!" he chirped.

"Wait, where am I sleeping?" Spain asked.

"The floor!" America answered cheerfully. Spain pouted, but didn't bother to argue.

"Okay, now that that's sorted out, get in here and be quiet!" Lovino hissed. "If you wake up the twins, I'll fucking murder you, got it?" He ushered them all inside.

"Alfred, you know where the living room is, Matthew, Feli, you know where the rooms are," Lovino said as they walked inside. "Stay quiet. I don't want to hear anything, got it?" He glared at everyone, but he was waved off for the most part. Only Japan, Canada, and Germany really listened to him and nodded.

Lovino walked upstairs with Canada, Prussia, Germany, and Veneziano.

"Oh yeah, Lovino, I also know too," Prussia stated just before Canada dragged him into one of the guest rooms. Lovino raised an eyebrow.

"I'll ask how another time," he stated. "I'm fucking tired. It's 4:30 in the morning. I'll be woken up by screaming children in three hours. Good night." He headed off to his room without bothering to hear Canada say goodnight back to him.

* * *

True enough, three hours later, Lovino was awoken by two children jumping up and down on his bed, chanting, "It's Christmas, it's Christmas!" Lovino groaned and turned on his stomach to try and block them out with his pillow.

"Papà, get up!" Chiara whined.

"Yeah Papà, it's Christmas!" Dante added.

"Papà, Papà!" they both whined in unison, shaking their father simultaneously. Lovino smirked into his pillow, and in one fellow swoop, gathered them both into his arms and rolled around with them. They started squealing and giggling in delight as their father nuzzled his nose against theirs.

"I gotcha you little rascals!" he exclaimed.

"Papà, let go of us!" Chiara demanded, although she and Dante were still giggling. Lovino laughed and kissed their foreheads before letting them go. It was then that he noticed someone in the doorway, and he looked in that direction to see Spain leaning against the doorway with a large smile on his face.

"Aww, Lovi, you're so cute with the children!" he cooed, and Lovino glared.

"Shut up," he said. "Why are you up so early? It's seven in the morning."

"Your floor is uncomfortable," Spain said as an answer, and Lovino rolled his eyes.

"Papà, why is Uncle Toni here?" Dante asked, looking up at his father along with Chiara. Their heads were both tilted in opposite direction, which Spain obviously found quite adorable.

"Ah, he's not the only one," Lovino told them sheepishly. "Come downstairs and I'll show you. Ah, is anyone else awake?" He looked at Spain, who nodded.

"Err… what's his name is making pancakes, and Gilbert is helping him," he explained. "Also, Kiku is reading a book in the dining room. Other than them, no one else is awake." Lovino nodded and let go of the twins.

"Come on you two, let's go say hi," he told Chiara and Dante. They nodded eagerly and hopped off the bed. They ran out of the room, and then waited by the doorway for their father. Lovino laughed and walked out after them, all the while painfully unaware of Spain's eyes trailing after him.

* * *

Lovino walked into the dining room with the twins marching in front of him where Japan was reading a book (it was actually manga) at the dining table. Lovino looked around, and then walked into the kitchen, where he was greeted with the sight of Canada pressed against his counter with Prussia kissing him smack on the lips. Lovino instantly covered Chiara and Dante's eyes and silently ushered them out of the room. Then he looked back at Canada and Prussia and coughed.

"Matthew, the pancakes will burn," he said, interrupting their kiss. Canada and Prussia broke away, one with a shit-eating grin on his face and the other with a large blush spread across his cheeks. Canada went back to making pancakes, pushing away any other attempts Prussia had in trying to get another kiss. Eventually, Prussia just gave up and pouted, glaring half-heartedly at Lovino.

"Did you have to ruin my fun?" he whined. Lovino rolled his eyes.

"My kids are still only five years old," he told him passively. "I don't want to see any of that in my house until they're 12 and understand things better."

"How do you know they don't already know?" Prussia asked, grinning.

"Because they still have yet to discover the internet," Lovino answered bluntly, and then walked out. Prussia laughed and then wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's waist from behind, gently resting his head on his shoulder.

"Romano's mellowed out a bit, hasn't he?" he commented. Canada nodded.

"Yeah, he has," he agreed.

* * *

"Papà, who was that with Uncle Mattie?" Chiara asked, sitting next to Dante at the table as Lovino walked back in.

"That was Gilbert Beilschmidt, Matthew's boyfriend and Ludwig's brother," he replied.

"So he's Uncle Gilbert?" Dante asked, tilting his head in sync with Chiara. Lovino nodded, and they cheered at the idea of their family becoming larger.

"I'll be right back you two," he told them, and then walked into the living room. America was still asleep and curled up on the couch, huddled in a blanket. Lovino thought of how he could possibly wake up the heavy sleeper, then smirked.

"Hamburger bastard, wake up or I'm not taking you out to McDonalds later," he said. America shot upright with wide eyes and ran over to Lovino, but then tripped over the blanket that had wrapped around his legs. Lovino snickered.

"Not cool, Lovino!" America whined. "Not cool!"

"Get up, Matthew's making pancakes," Lovino ordered. America instantly tried to untangle himself and called out to Lovino for help, but he just left him there, cackling the entire time.

"Was that Uncle Al?" Chiara asked. "What did you do to him?"

"He's just having some trouble getting out of his blanket, that's all," Lovino answered with a grin. The twins giggled.

"Now, I have two more people to wake up," Lovino said and headed upstairs to the room Veneziano and Germany were in. He silently peeked through the door and saw Veneziano cuddled into Germany's chest with Germany's arms wrapped protectively around him. The sight was sweet, but it still sickened Lovino a bit.

"Feli, Ludwig, wake up," he said. Germany woke up instantly at hearing his voice, as he was a light sleeper through all those years of war, but Veneziano just made a small humming noise in the back of his throat and tried snuggling deeper into his boyfriend's chest, all the while still asleep.

"Can you wake him up?' Lovino asked with a sigh. Germany nodded and went to prying Veneziano's arms off him and trying to wake him up. Lovino just left the room and went back downstairs, where America was seated at the dining table, having successfully untangled himself from the blanket.

"Who else is here Papà?" Chiara asked.

"Your uncles Feli and Ludwig," Lovino answered.

"They're here too?" the twins chimed. Lovino nodded and they cheered as they had earlier. They were excited to be able to spend Christmas with more family.

* * *

"Mattie's first batch awesome pancakes are ready!" Prussia announced as he walked into the room with two plates of pancakes held high above his head. "And just for today, I'm giving the first batches to the awesome little twins over here." Chiara and Dante cheered again and took the plates.

"Does Uncle Mattie have the good maple syrup?" Dante asked.

"I do," Canada answered, walking in and handing them the maple syrup bottles before walking back into the kitchen to make more.

After some time and Veneziano and Germany finally coming downstairs, Canada was finished with all the pancakes, which was a lot, and handed them out to everyone.

"I've never had, err, Mark's pancakes before…" Spain stated, looking at them in awe.

"His name's Matthew," Lovino said.

"And Toni, you will die and go to Heaven after eating these pancakes!" Prussia exclaimed. "Try them! Try them! With maple syrup!" He poured maple syrup on Spain's pancakes for him, and Spain tentatively took a bite. Then he smiled brightly.

"These are very good, uhh, whatever your name is!" he chirped happily. Canada smiled shyly.

"My name is Matthew, and thank you," he said. Lovino smacked Spain on the head.

"Get his name right, you idiot," he said. Spain just laughed as he always did and started eating, and that was everyone else's cue to start eating as well.

"Papà, are we opening presents after this?" Dante asked. Lovino shook his head with a teasing smile on his face.

"No, we're opening them at the end of the day," he told him.

"Why?!" the twins whined. Lovino chuckled.

"Good things come to those who wait," he told them. "I was actually going to take you two ice skating, and then we'd have lunch, then we'd watch a small Christmas show, then we'd come back here, play some games, and then open presents, how about that?" The twins nodded.

"Does that include us?" Veneziano asked. Lovino thought about it, and then sighed.

"Yeah I guess," he said. "You guys are already here."

"Awesome!" America cheered.

Lovino and the twins took their own car to the ice skating rink while everyone else piled into Prussia's van, which they had taken to Lovino's house. It was an interesting ride that Lovino was probably lucky to not have experienced.

* * *

As they got to the ice skating rink, Lovino had a flashback to that dream not too long ago, but he brushed it off for the sake the twins. Lovino paid for his and the twins' ice skates, but everyone else had to pay for their own.

"Papà, do you even know to ice skate?" Dante asked. Lovino laughed nervously.

"Haha, I'll figure it out," he said as an answer. "Come on, let's get these skates on." He led them to some benches and helped them get the ice skates on, and then worked on getting his own on.

"Hey Lovi, maybe I should help you ice skate if you don't know how," Spain suggested. "And then Alfred could teach the twins how to skate! It'd be easier on them if that happened." Lovino frowned, not wanting to have to deal with Spain any more than he had to.

"For one, Alfred can't skate either," he said, pointing to where America was already falling over himself on the ice. "And two, I think the twins would like me to teach them myself."

"Papà, I think it's best if someone experienced taught us," Chiara told her father bluntly. Lovino pretended to be wounded by her words.

"So mean, Chi," he sulked. "Fine, but I think Feli and Matthew are preoccupied, so… Honda, do you think you could help the twins skate?" He looked at Japan, who nodded. He used his last name so that he would be more comfortable.

"Hai, I will do my best," he answered.

"Thank you," Lovino said, then turned to the twins. "Don't give him too much trouble, so be good, okay?"

"Yes Papà," the twins chimed. Lovino nodded and looked at Spain, who looked quite excited.

"Alright, you win, you're teaching me how to skate," he said. Spain cheered and grabbed Lovino's wrist.

"Come on!" he exclaimed. "This will be fun!"

"Hold on, I can't balance that well on these things!" Lovino spluttered.

* * *

"You fucking suck," Lovino repeated for the twentieth time since he had gotten on the ice. Spain laughed again. He had his arm around the Italian's waist to keep him falling, which proved to do nothing but make them both fall multiple times.

"Lo siento, Lovi," Spain said. "But you keep moving around and it's hard to help you." Lovino glared at him.

"It's because you're fucking useless," he spat, although his words held no bite, so Spain ignored them.

"Come on Lovi, like this," he said and tried to guide Lovino. It was still pretty hard though. Chiara and Dante skated by slowly, a bit shaky on their feet just like their father. Still, they both giggled since he was a grown man that still needed help.

"You're doing great Papà!" they cheered from the sidelines. Lovino glared playfully at them.

* * *

Meanwhile, Canada and Prussia were practically dancing on the ice. They both knew how to ice skate very well, so with the two of them, it was basically a beautiful dance on ice. In fact, they were dancing, and many people were watching them in awe. Prussia held Canada and they twirled as they went around the ice quickly.

"This is fun," Canada giggled as Prussia playfully dipped him with a smirk and then they went on with their ice dance.

"Ja, it is," Prussia agreed, smirking. "Although it looks like Romano still hasn't quite got it down." They paused in their dancing to look at Lovino yelling at Spain. Canada nodded in agreement, giggling again.

"Yeah, looks like they are having some trouble," he said. "Oh well, they'll get it eventually. But, umm, don't call him Romano anymore. He's… not officially Romano anymore, and he hates to be called so." Prussia nodded, and then they continued skating.

* * *

Veneziano and Germany were just skating slowly, like most other couples with their arms wrapped around the other's waist. Also, Germany wanted to make sure Veneziano wouldn't hurt himself and the baby by falling.

"Lovi's having trouble," Veneziano giggled, watching his brother attempt to skate. "But Canada and Prussia seem to have it down." Germany nodded.

"Prussia has a lot of free time, so it's to be expected that he would get good at this," he explained. "I guess he's been practicing with, uhh, Canada. Why hasn't your brother learned how to ice skate? He's had plenty of time."

"Lovi never found a reason to, and he got really busy with the twins after they were born," Veneziano told him. "I feel bad for Lovi… He had to support the twins all on his own…" Germany sighed, and in a rare show of affection, kissed the top of his boyfriend's head. He was blushing lightly as he did it.

"I think he's happy though," he said. "He has the twins, and now, more people know about him and can help him." Veneziano nodded happily.

"Ve~, you're right!" he chirped. "Thanks Luddy!" Germany gave him a tentative smile, and they continued skating.

* * *

"Kids, do not trust Antonio," Lovino told the twins as they returned their skates. "He is a terrible teacher." Spain pouted.

"Come on Lovi," he whined. "I wasn't that bad! You're just upset because you can't get it down!"

"Shut up!" Lovino ordered. "I'm not listening to you. Come on, you two." He grabbed the giggling twins' hands and led them to the nearby pizza place they would be eating at, which was not too far away from the ice skating rink, so they just walked.

"Hey Lovino, at least you didn't do as badly as me!" America said happily. America had just kept falling down and eventually had just given up. Lovino stared at him incredulously.

"Only you could be happy about that," he deadpanned. America just laughed. Veneziano observed the pizza place in the meantime.

"This isn't American, right?" he asked.

"Of course not," Lovino scoffed. "I'm not poisoning my children like that. It's pure Italian."

"Hey, my pizza is great dude!" America protested.

"No it isn't," everyone, even Canada and Japan and the twins, chimed. America pouted and huffed.

"You're all so nice," he said sarcastically as they walked in.

"Alfred F. Jones knows sarcasm!" Prussia gasped dramatically. "I didn't think an idiot like him knew what sarcasm even meant!"

"Shut up!" America snapped, glaring at him.

"This is not the time for one of your stupid rivalry fights!" Lovino declared before a fight could start. "You can sort this out _after_ you two leave!"

(America and Prussia didn't really like each other since their egos were too alike, and their rivalry just got worse when America learned that Prussia had a thing for Canada. He had told Canada, hoping Canada would be disgusted, but instead Canada was ecstatic and had immediately called up Prussia to hang out so that he could tell how he felt. Needless to say, they got into _many_ fights when they were together)

"Anyway, I'll go get the pizza!" Veneziano exclaimed, clasping his hands together. "You all can find a seat, right?" Canada and Japan nodded, and proceeded to drag Prussia and America away from each other. Lovino sighed irritably and ushered the twins to follow them, along with Spain.

"I'll stay here with you two," he told Veneziano and Germany.

"Okay!" Veneziano said happily. "So how have you been, fratello?"

* * *

The lunch ended up with them almost getting kicked out because Prussia and America had gotten into another fight. Spain had attempted to flirt with Lovino, but he was ignored in favor of the twins. Canada and Japan bonded over having to deal with idiots and Veneziano and Germany just watched, one in amusement and the other in exasperation.

"This is all your fault!" America declared as they walked out. "You are the reason we almost got kicked out?" Prussia gaped.

"Me?!" he exclaimed. "You're the one who started the goddamn fight! I was just trying to talk to my boyfriend!" He wrapped an arm around Canada, who sighed.

"Enough you two!" Lovino yelled. "I told you not to fight while you're here! You're both adults, so act like ones! It's Christmas!" Chiara and Dante held on tightly to their father's designer jeans, as they hated when he got irritated. America and Prussia paused and looked at their shorter friend.

"Fine," America relented. "But only for today. So, truce?" He looked at Prussia and held out a hand. Prussia took it and they shook on it.

"Truce," Prussia agreed.

"So, Lovi, what's this Christmas show you said we were going to watch?" Spain asked, looking at Lovino, who was calming down now that the two had agreed on not fighting.

"Every year, a few locals put on a dancing show for Christmas, and it's nice to watch," Lovino explained. "They get better each year, so we like to watch it."

"Oh, I've heard about that!" Veneziano exclaimed. "I can't wait to see it! Let's go!"

* * *

They had followed Lovino's car to where the show would be, and they loved it. The dancers were very graceful, and it was like they told a story. Adriana and Emilio were a part of the show, and they met up with them after the show.

"Hey, Lovino!" Adriana greeted. "Did you like it?"

"You guys improved a lot more," Lovino commented, nodding approvingly. Adriana laughed.

"Thanks!" she beamed. "So who are the new guys?"

"I am the awesome Gilbert Beilschmidt!" Prussia introduced dramatically. "I am Ludwig here's older brother!" He pointed at Germany.

"Guten tag," Germany greeted.

"Konbanwa, my name is Honda Kiku, or Kiku Honda in your culture," Japan said quietly.

"Nice to meet you!" Adriana said. "I'm Adriana, and that's Emilio!" She pointed to Emilio, who was talking to Lovino.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Japan said curtly.

"Well, we actually have to take everything down now, but it was nice to meet you!" Adriana said. "Emilio! Stop flirting! We have to go!" She waved to the nations and Lovino and then headed off.

"I wasn't flirting!" Emilio yelled after her. "See you tomorrow Lovino!" He said a quick goodbye to everyone else and sent a 'nice to meet you' to Prussia, Germany, and Japan before running off after Adriana.

"Well, let's go back home," Lovino said.

* * *

Back at Lovino's house, they decided to play a few games. They played Tombola again, which America won. America had also brought along Monopoly and the Game of Life. Lovino won Monopoly, to which he rubbed in America's face, and the twins, who were a team, won the Game of Life. Lovino had playfully ruffled their hair at that and dramatically told them that they wouldn't need him anymore.

"We will always need you Papà!" they had soon cried, hugging him. Lovino laughed and hugged them.

"I know," he said. "I know."

Soon, it was time for presents, and Chiara and Dante were quite eager for them.

"You know, technically you're supposed to be getting these presents on Epiphany night," Lovino told them teasingly as he gave them their presents. "You've been corrupted by Alfred too much."

"But we like presents!" the twins chimed. Lovino chuckled.

"It's alright, just open them," he told them. Chiara and Dante nodded and opened their individual presents.

Chiara got a book that was a bit above what her reading level should have been at her age. Unlike other girls her age, who liked to play with dolls, she liked to improve on her reading and learn, so Lovino knew she would like the book.

Dante got an action figure, which Chiara would tease him about, from one of America's superhero shows. He liked America, so he had learned about superheroes and had grown to love him. Despite Lovino not really seeing the point of them, he got Dante the action figure anyway.

"Thank you Papà!" the two chimed together, and hugged him.

"You're welcome," he told them, gently hugging them back.

The nations sheepishly told Lovino that they had all forgotten about presents, with the exception of Canada and Veneziano, who happily gave them their presents. One was a book that Lovino hadn't read from Canada by one of Lovino's favorite authors, and Veneziano's present was a card with money to buy more designer clothes. Lovino had thanked them both, as he loved both reading and fashion. Spain was a bit surprised at this, but then was called an idiot since he never noticed the Armani that Lovino still had from a while ago.

* * *

Dinner went by quickly, but it was quite a joyful dinner. Near the end of it, it suddenly occurred to Lovino that when he met Spain once again, suddenly more and more nations remembered him. Everyone, that is, except Spain. The only one that wasn't in the know what Spain, which was a bit weird, considering Lovino would have thought Veneziano would have told Spain, or maybe Prussia would have told them because they were friends.

Whatever the reason, Lovino was just grateful Spain didn't know. He wouldn't be able to deal with it.

As it grew nearer to December 26th and the twins were put to bed, Lovino's guests had to leave, albeit Veneziano and Spain didn't really want to leave. In fact, they both clung to Lovino crying "Don't make us leave youuuu!" as Lovino snapped at them to get off him and the twins to make those two stop laughing. The twins didn't listen, and it took Canada and Japan to drag Veneziano and Spain off of Lovino.

Spain was the last to stop out the door. As he stepped out, he turned to Lovino.

"Ah, Lovi," he said nervously. "Umm…"

"What the fuck do you want?" Lovino asked rudely. He wanted him to _leave_.

"Ah, well-" Spain was cut off by a whistle from Prussia.

"Hey you two!" Prussia called. "Look up!" Spain and Lovino looked up, and there was mistletoe hanging above them. Lovino immediately glared at America.

"This is your fault, I know it!" he yelled at him. America laughed

"You can't prove anything!" he declared.

"U-uh, Lovi, it's tradition you know…" Spain said. "But we don't have to kiss if you don't want to!"

"Yes you do!" Prussia and America chimed loudly before glaring at each other.

"Just to shut them up," Lovino said irritably, "we'll kiss, alright? It'll mean nothing." He missed the sad look in his former boss's eyes, but Spain had already covered it up with a smile anyway.

"That's okay!" Spain chirped. "Okay, let's do it!" They awkwardly tried to decide how to do this, while America had his phone and was chanting quietly "Do it for the vine" before his brother smacked him up over the head. Chiara and Dante watched from the stairs so as not to let their father know they were still awake.

Eventually, their lips met in a sloppy kiss, and Lovino would have pulled away immediately, except as soon as they met, Lovino was reminded of just _how good_ a kisser Spain was, and the kiss lasted longer than it should have. At some point, Spain had wrapped his arms around Lovino, and Lovino had buried his hands in Spain's hair. They were only broken apart by a cough from Japan.

Lovino instantly turned bright red and started stuttering, unsure of what to say because _oh my God he kissed Spain again and it felt so good but it was so wrong but it also felt so fucking right_.

"U-uhh, th-that's it y-you bastard!" Lovino stammered, trying to sound threatening. "N-now goodbye!" He stepped back inside and slammed the door into Spain's stupid, shit-eating grin. He turned to the giggling children on the stairs.

"You two! Go to bed!" he yelled. Chiara and Dante squeaked in surprise and ran off to their room, still giggling all the while. Lovino sighed and sank down to ground against the door.

"I can't believe I got lost in that stupid kiss of his again…" he groaned.


	15. Chapter 14: Six Days - New Years Eve

_**Okay, so this chapter is super overdue and I really have no excuses for such a late chapter over the entire course of January, but hey, I got it in before Valentine's Day! I WROTE 14 PAGES AND 5,100 WORDS FOR YOU GUYS SO BE HAPPY. MY BROTHER SAYS THAT THAT'S WHAT HE WRITES FOR ESSAYS IN COLLEGE OKAY.**_

**_I do have an excuse for not writing on Thursday, Friday, and this weekend. That excuse is that I got asked out by the guy I like and I've been trying to figure things out but I still haven't technically said yes yet even though I want to. If you want the full story of how this thing happened, just ask, although I'm pretty sure that you care more about this COMPLETELY OVERDUE CHAPTER rather than my love(?) life. Hopefully I'll have a boyfriend by Valentine's Day, but who knows? BUT YOU GUYS DON'T CARE ABOUT THAT NOW DO YA?_**

**_As always, I apologize for any and all cultural inaccuracies. I try my best, but the internet is not always correct._**

**_Things to look out for in this chapter:_**

**_~A sort of sexy flashback of what happened with Romano and Spain_**

**_~The twins get lost_**

**_~We get Adriana's POV_**

**_~The twins are oh-so-innocent_**

**_~PRUCAN BITCHES_**

**_~A time skip because I didn't want to write that scene cuz I'm bad at it_**

**_Hope you guys don't hate me for not writing in a month, but I promise a Valentine's Day chapter and a first date chapter! I have a five day weekend from Thursday to Monday because of mid winter break SO I WILL WRITE AS MUCH AS I FUCKING CAN._**

**_Anyway~, please review at the end and enjoy the chapter!_**

Chapter 14

New Years Eve

It was New Years Eve, six days after Christmas, and Lovino was still confused about the kiss. Don't get him wrong, it was absolutely amazing, but it brought back the memories of what had occurred. Yes, he was grateful for the twins, but they didn't have their other father.

Kissing Spain again made Lovino so confused and upset. He didn't know why Spain suddenly liked him when he was a human. At least, he assumed that Spain liked him as a human now, considering he, too, got caught up in that kiss. He didn't know why one of his friends (he suspected it was Canada, that sneaky bastard) put that mistletoe up there and made him kiss him when they knew he didn't want a relationship. He didn't know how to handle all the feelings that resurfaced from kissing Spain again.

Kissing Spain had also made him question his abilities as a parent. He remembered how Spain was also the twins' father. In hindsight, Spain probably should have known, but it was too late now. Still, Lovino didn't know just how the twins took to having only one parent. He knew that he might be a bad influence – it was obvious from the way Dante liked to occasionally swear – and he knew that he might not always be the happiest person around them, even though he tried. He needed them to have that happy, positive influence in their lives, and without Spain, who could very well have been that positive influence, he didn't know how they would end up later.

Lovino was too tired to deal with such thoughts, so he decided to sleep on it before the twins woke up at noon. Still, as he fell asleep, he was thinking about how much that kiss reminded him of back when he was still a nation, and back before he had the twins.

* * *

_Lovino's dreams were filled of the past, back when he was 'Romano.' More specifically, his dreams were of that party. The party where Spain got drunk. The party that started… everything._

_Romano had been casually leaning against the wall, silently observing all the drunk idiots. Canada had long since stumbled into a random bedroom with his idiot boyfriend, England was already sobbing to America, and Veneziano had conked out and was driven to his bastard boyfriend's house._

_Spain decided to collapse on top of Romano, and Romano groaned. He had to drive Spain back home to his own house, and at first, he had just dumped him onto his bed. As he was sitting on Spain's bed and sighing in exasperation, he felt Spain's breath against his ear._

"_Roma~," Spain sang, wrapping his arms around Romano's waist from behind. "Turn around and look at me~."_

"_Why?" Romano asked, not bothering to turn around. "And I've told you not to call me that!" He could practically feel Spain's pout._

"_Romaaa, just do it!" he whined. Romano sighed and turned around to face him._

"_What do you-?" he was cut off by Spain's lips on his. Romano was too stunned to move for about five seconds before he turned bright red and pushed Spain off of him._

"_Wh-what was that?!" he spluttered, furiously wiping his lips. (_It wasn't that bad though,_ he would later think before getting lost in the pleasure again)_

"_Romaaa, why'd you do that?" Spain whined. "Come here!" He kissed him again, but Romano wasted no time in pushing him away again._

"_Spain, what the fuck?!" he yelled out. Spain pouted, but then he suddenly looked as though he had a realization. He kissed Romano again, but this time, he held him tightly so he wouldn't escape. Romano tried, he definitely did, but those lips were just… too entrancing, and at some point, he felt himself stop trying and kiss back._

_As Spain's tongue entered his mouth and he was pushed down onto the bed, Romano could no longer think. He could only feel Spain, and his tongue, and his hands. He didn't even remember that Spain was drunk._

_Throughout the night, all he had felt was Spain and pleasure._

_Hands touching everywhere._

_Lips and teeth biting and sucking and making marks that Romano would later find when he looks in the mirror._

_Tongue on skin, tongues rubbing together._

"_Roma-!"_

_Hot breaths, heavy panting._

"_Ngh..! S-Spain!"_

_Loud moans and groans._

_Being filled to the brim with nothing but pleasure._

"_R-Romano… Romano!"_

_The wet sound of skin on skin._

"_Lovino!"_

"_Antonio!"_

_The feeling of being absolutely complete._

_It was wonderful, but…_

* * *

"Papà, wake up!"

Lovino's eyes shot open and he sat up with a gasp. He glanced around and noticed the twins standing beside him.

"Papà, are you okay?" Chiara asked. Lovino nodded slowly.

"Yes, I'm alright," he assured her. "What time is it?"

"It's 12:27, Papà," Dante answered. "We just woke up, but we made ourselves cereal!" Lovino smiled.

"Wonderful, but I'm sorry I wasn't awake to do it for you," he said. "Papà was very tired."

"Did you stay up late?" Chiara asked worriedly. "Ms. Brivio says that's not good for your health." Lovino chuckled and ruffled her hair.

"Don't worry, Chi, I'm fine," he said.

"By the way, Papà, what's that sticking up in your blanket?" Dante asked innocently. Lovino looked down.

Oh.

So that's what that uncomfortable tightness in his pants was.

"U-uhh, kids, I have to go to the bathroom and I might take a while, don't bother me please," Lovino said nervously before standing up and dashing to the bathroom to get rid of his little… problem.

The twins looked at each other in bewilderment, then shrugged.

"I don't understand Papà," Chiara sighed.

"Me neither," Dante agreed.

Even smart as those two were, they were still children.

* * *

By the time Lovino had taken care of his problem, it was a bit before one o'clock. The twins had settled to watching television while also trying to read a short story at the same time. Lovino hoped that the twins wouldn't ask what had happened, but they were children, so of course they asked.

"Papà, is everything alright?" Chiara asked upon seeing him enter the room.

"What happened Papà?" Dante continued.

"What was that?" they both asked in unison. Lovino laughed nervously.

"It's nothing, you two, don't worry about it," he told them. They continued to ask for another five minutes before they both got frustrated and looked back at the TV, pouting. Lovino chuckled at how cute they were and kissed the tops of their heads as the doorbell rang. He went to answer it, fully expecting it to be the nations that had been there for Christmas, but to his pleasant surprise, it was his human friends instead.

"Ah, hey guys, what's up?" he asked.

"It's New Years Eve, Lovino!" Adriana cheered. "That means wine and celebration!"

"I have children," Lovino pointed out. Adriana pouted, and Diana took over for her.

"What she means to say is that we have decided to hang out with you for New Years Eve," she explained. "We will also be taking you and the twins to the festival in Central Square. The twins could go on rides, and there'll be fireworks at midnight. You three would love it." Lovino hummed and nodded.

"I suppose that would be alright," he said. "The twins would like it there. Yeah, come on in." He stepped to the side to allow his friends to come inside.

"Where are the two cuties?" Emilio asked.

"Watching TV in the living room," Lovino answered. "What else would they be doing?" Emilio laughed and he headed to the living room to greet the twins.

"Sorry we couldn't be here for Christmas!" Adriana said. "But you looked like you had fun! Hey, hey, did you get together with Antonio? Christmas miracle and all~." She smirked as Lovino turned bright red.

"Fuck off bitch," he said, turning away from her. "Nothing happened." Obviously that was lie because of the kiss, but she didn't need to know that. Lovino was then hit over the head by Diana.

"I've told you not to swear," she chastised. "The twins could hear you." Lovino rolled his eyes.

"They already know enough swears," he said, lightly rubbing his head. Diana sighed.

"And they are much too young to know those," she said.

"Ahh, get used to it already," he told her, walking into the living room where Cosimo was sighing in exasperation as Chiara and Dante were trying to escape from where Emilio was hugging the life out of them.

"Emilio, let go of my children," Lovino sighed. Emilio pouted, but let go of the twins, who immediately ran and hid behind their father's legs.

"Papà, Zio Emilio gives us too many hugs," Chiara said. Lovino nodded.

"I know, he does that to me too," he agreed.

"The twins are so cute, I couldn't help it!" Emilio whined. Lovino rolled his eyes.

"Cosimo, can you hit him over the head for me?" he asked, rubbing his temples with his thumb and middle finger. "I can't move with the twins attached to me."

"I'd been meaning to," Cosimo said and hit Emilio over the head.

"Ow!" Emilio cried, wincing and rubbing his head.

"I didn't hit you that hard," Cosimo told him, keeping his expression blank. Lovino knew he was laughing on the inside though. So did Emilio.

"You're all so mean to me!" Emilio cried. "Diana! Tell them to stop!" He turned to Diana, who shrugged, and Emilio pouted again.

"Okay guys, that's enough messing with Emilio," Diana announced.

"He's 20-something years old, he shouldn't be acting like a child," Lovino told her with a roll of his eyes.

"Just because you act like some forty year old workaholic doesn't mean we all have to," Emilio retorted. Lovino just raised his eyebrows and went to working on prying the twins off his legs.

"You guys want any tomatoes?" he asked once the twins went back to watching TV. "I have some in the fridge."

"Sure," Cosimo replied.

"You always have the best of the best tomatoes!" Adriana cheered.

"I'll be delighted," Diana said.

"I will only forgive you when you give me your tomatoes!" Emilio declared dramatically. Lovino rolled his eyes and then headed to the kitchen to get the tomatoes.

* * *

A couple hours later and some accidents involving wine, Lovino, the twins, and his friends were on their way to Central Square. Adriana had a van large enough to fit all seven of them, but the twins insisted on sitting on their father's lap, so he had to agree.

(The incident with the wine was Emilio trying to grab the wine from Lovino after he had tried to sneak a sip, and then dropping it onto the floor. Lovino got pissed off because he ruined the carpet and the twins could get hurt from the glass. The other incident is when Dante asked if he could try the wine because he wanted to see why his father loved it so much, and Adriana ended up giving in. The wine was quickly confiscated and Lovino locked the cabinet that held all the alcohol beverages)

"Papà, this will be fun!" Dante chattered excitedly as they were driving. In front of them, Emilio and Adriana were singing whatever song was on the radio. Adriana was doing it loudly and Emilio was doing it as silly as he could. Cosimo just sighed as he drove and Diana was turning the radio down in an attempt to silence them.

"Yes, it will be," Lovino said, giving him a forced smile as he tried not to lash out at his idiot friends. Dante and Chiara failed to notice, because, well, they were six. They stayed innocent and excited at the idea of going to a festival.

Lovino had, of course, taken them to a festival before, but it was always an exciting experience for them since they were children.

The twins had very nearly run off into the crowd the moment Cosimo had parked the van, but luckily, Lovino had grabbed onto them before they could.

"We need to wait for the others first," he told them. They pouted, but agreed and held onto their father's hand as they waited and soon headed into the crowd.

"Papà, let's go over there!" Dante exclaimed, pointing one way and pulling his father that way.

"No, Papà, over here!" Chiara protested, pulling their father in the opposite direction. They began arguing over where they should go first, and Lovino sighed.

"Dante, Chiara, stop it," he ordered, and they immediately stopped to look at him. "Dante asked first, so we'll go to where he wants to go, and then we will go to where you want to go, okay Chi?" He looked at his daughter and she frowned, but nodded.

"Okay Papà," she said.

"Ha!" Dante cheered. He began teasing her about his win, and they got into another argument. Lovino just sighed again and turned his back on them to look at his friends.

"Well, will we be going our separate ways, or…?" he left the question hanging so that they could all come up with their own conclusions.

"I propose we go around in groups!" Adriana exclaimed. Diana nodded in agreement.

"Yes, I agree," she said. "Adriana, I believe you should go with me. The boys can go around together with the twins."

"Aww, but I wanted to go with 'Mili and Lovi!" Adriana whined.

"You would both cause too much trouble for Lovino and the twins," Cosimo told her bluntly. "Diana will stop you from doing anything crazy, and I'll make sure Emilio doesn't get arrested again."

"And if you two were with me, then you would convince my kids to do whatever evil scheme you two wanted to do," Lovino added.

"It'd be good for them!" Adriana protested.

"How so?" Diana asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Variety!" she proclaimed. Everyone rolled their eyes.

"Uhh, hey guys…?" Emilio called weakly, looking around. "Where are the twins?" Lovino immediately whipped around and found that the twins weren't where they should be.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no," he began panicking. "Where are they? They can't go off on their own! Especially in a crowded place like this! They could get kidnapped! Oh God, what if they get kidnapped? Who knows what could happen?!"

"Lovino, calm down!" Diana ordered, Adriana smacking him on the head for emphasis. Lovino flinched, but took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. "Good," Diana continued. "Now, we will find the twins. They couldn't have gotten far. They're six, and Chiara has some common sense. We'll split up and look for them, okay?" Lovino nodded, still obviously worried.

"Okay, I'll go this way," he muttered, and aimlessly walked away.

_Please God, let them be safe._

* * *

"Ch-Chiara, where are we going?" Dante asked, grasping onto his sister's hand as they ran around, trying to find their father.

"I don't know, Dante," she answered. "We have to find Papà!" Normally, she'd be blaming her brother, but they were in a crowd, alone and without their Papà, so they were scared out of their minds.

"P-Papà?" Dante called weakly as he looked around.

"Papà!" Chiara called louder for them both. "Where are you Papà?!" They continued to run, pushing through the crowd of people and trying to find their way. As they ran, they accidentally bumped into someone. It was an old lady.

"Oh no, are you okay lady?" Dante asked once he registered who they'd bumped into. The old lady had a young man and woman beside her, making sure she was alright.

"Yes, I'm quite alright, thank you," the old woman assured him, smiling softly at him.

"We're so sorry!" Chiara cried. "We didn't mean to!"

"What were you two children running around so dangerously for?" the young woman asked worriedly. "Especially in a crowd like this. Where are your parents?"

"We got lost and we're trying to find our Papà," Chiara explained. "Papà turned his back on us for a second and then we got pushed by the crowd. Have you seen our Papà?"

"Well, what does he look like?" the young man asked.

"Papà has red-brown hair," Dante began.

"And really pretty eyes!" Chiara added. "I think he called them hazel…"

"And he wears expensive clothes all the time!" Dante exclaimed.

"He has a little curl sticking out from his hair on the… uhh…" Chiara looked at her hands. "I think it was the right side of his head…"

"We're sorry, we haven't seen such a man," the woman said sympathetically. "Would you like us to help you look?" Chiara and Dante looked at each other, and after a few moments, silently decided that the three were safe.

"Okay," they said in unison. "Thank you!" The three adults smiled and slowly led the two through the crowd to find their father.

* * *

"Dante! Chiara! Where are you?!" Adriana called worriedly as she ran through the crowd of people. "Your Papà's worried sick for you!" She whipped around wildly, obviously panicking. _Where are they?!_

Adriana loved the twins, and she loved Lovino like a brother. She was getting increasingly worried the longer they were gone. Lovino would be terribly upset if the twins were taken away from him for too long, so she wanted to find them as soon as possible, for his happiness and their safety.

"Zia 'Dria?" she heard a small voice call. She immediately turned around, and sighed in relief as she saw the twins beside a young couple and an old lady.

"Chiara, Dante, there you are!" she exclaimed, scooping them up into her arms. "Lovino has been worried sick for you! Don't go off on your own in a crowd, understand?" The twins nodded and she hugged them tightly before looking at the people who brought them. "Thank you," she told them sincerely. "Their father is going crazy looking for them. They're a tight knit family, so I'm sure these two were terrified. I trust they didn't give you three too much trouble?" They shook their heads.

"No, they were just total sweethearts the entire time," the old woman told her. Adriana smiled.

"Well, thank you again," she said. "Come on, you two. Let's go find your father." The twins nodded and they headed off.

Adriana must have been walking for maybe five minutes with the twins in her arms before she noticed two people that had been with Lovino on Christmas Eve. She couldn't recall their names, but she wouldn't forget the polar bear and the white hair.

"Hey, you two were with Lovino on Christmas, right?" she called as she made her way towards them. They turned a bit to face her.

"Oh hey, you're the girl that danced on that stage or whatever!" the albino exclaimed. "Adriana, right?" Adriana nodded.

"Yeah!" she said. "I'm sorry, but I think I forget your names, eheh…" The albino gasped dramatically and hugged the blonde boy from behind.

"How could you forget our awesome names?" he asked as the other boy giggled.

"I'm Matthew," the blonde one told her. "And he's Gilbert. And this…" he held up the bear, "is Kumajiro." Adriana tilted her head in confusion.

"Isn't that just a stuffed bear?" she asked slowly. The twins giggled and reached over to poke Kumajiro, who moved his head to try to glare at them. Adriana gasped.

"Nope, that little devil is, unfortunately, real!" Gilbert told her, then proceeded to have a glaring contest with the bear. Matthew sighed and looked around.

"Ignoring them, umm, where is Lovino?" he asked.

"We're trying to find him now," Adriana explained. "These little ones got lost when we turned their back on them for a second. Do you wanna-?"

"WHERE THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GRABBING?!" yelled a very familiar voice, effectively cutting of Adriana's words. Chiara and Dante visibly brightened as they heard their father's loud voice.

"It's Papà!" they cheered. "Zia 'Dria, we want to see Papà!" Adrianna nodded and looked at Matthew and Gilbert.

"Do you two want to come too?" she asked. They nodded.

"Sounds awesome!" Gilbert exclaimed. "Let's go!" They headed off to the direction where they heard Lovino's voice. When they saw him, he was glaring dangerously at a man on the ground, whose cheek was slightly red. Chiara and Dante immediately wiggled out of Adriana's arms and ran over to him, hugging his legs.

"Papà!" they exclaimed happily. Lovino's glare instantly disappeared and he leaned down to hug the twins.

"There you two are!" he sighed in relief. "I was so worried. Don't scare me like that!" He pulled back to look at them sternly. They nodded.

"Yes Papà," they chimed. Lovino hugged them again, and after a bit, stood up. He picked up the twins along with him.

"Did you find them, Adriana?" he asked his friend. She nodded, and he thanked her profusely.

"Hey Lovi!" Gilbert shouted, bringing attention to him. "What's up?" Lovino scowled.

"Don't call me that bastardo!" he retorted. "Why are you here?"

"Feli dragged us here, and then Antonio disappeared with Alfred, and then me and Birdie decided to celebrate on our own," Gilbert explained.

"They're here too?" Lovino asked. "Those fuckers…"

"Wait, what happened though?" Matthew asked. "We heard you yelling…" Lovino scowled and glared at the man again.

"This fucking bastard decided it would be a good idea to grab my ass, so I punched him in the face," he explained.

"Umm, why don't we just leave now, then?" Matthew said, curling into himself as he noticed that they were gaining the attention of others. Gilbert wrapped an arm around him comfortingly. Lovino noticed too, and nodded reluctantly.

"Yeah, let's go," he agreed and began walking off.

"Gilbert, I found you!" a voice called some time later. Lovino groaned. He definitely recognized that voice.

"Of all the people to run into…" he muttered as Spain ran over and hugged Prussia. It took a moment after pulling away from the albino for Spain to notice Lovino and tackle him into a hug.

"Lovi! You're here too!" he exclaimed happily. Chiara and Dante squirmed a bit in Lovino's arms.

"U-umm, Zio Toni?" Chiara gasped out.

"You're squishing us!" Dante finished for her. Spain immediately pulled back and started apologizing in Spanish.

"Whatever, don't hurt my kids," Lovino said, glaring. Spain just laughed.

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised to see you here!" he said. "Feli thought we might run into you! He's with Ludwig right now… somewhere. I don't know where. I got last, ahahaha!"

"Idiot," Lovino muttered. "I should probably find Feli and his idiot boyfriend."

"Hey, that's mean to Luddy!" Prussia declared. Lovino rolled his eyes.

"Think I care, bastard?" he asked. "Why are you guys here, anyway?"

"We didn't want to leave until after the holidays," Canada explained. "And Feliciano wanted to surprise you by finding you here."

"And… where's the hamburger bastard?" Lovino asked. "Didn't Gilbert say he was with that tomato bastard?" Spain laughed nervously as Canada and Lovino shot him suspicious looks.

"Ahaha, about that, I kind of lost him…" he said.

"How do you lose a 180 pound guy made of pure muscle and is constantly yelling about how he's a hero?" Lovino asked incredulously.

"That is a good question!" Spain declared. Lovino sighed.

"Let's go find him," he grumbled. "You never know what he might get up to."

"We can do that!" Prussia exclaimed, grabbing Canada around the waist. "I'm also going to take this opportunity to do lovey-dovey couple things with my awesome boyfriend!" Canada blushed brightly.

"G-Gilbert!" he squeaked as he was led away by his laughing boyfriend.

"Aww, what happened to calling me 'Gilbear'?" Prussia asked teasingly. "Ow!" Canada had hit him on the head.

"Wow, they sure are lively!" Adriana laughed, beginning to walk after Lovino, who was leaving already and ignoring the couple. "The love is definitely there though. It's really obvious."

"Hey, Lovi, don't you two have a few other friends too?" Spain asked.

"Don't call me that, and yes we do," Lovino answered automatically. "We have to find them too. They're probably worried too."

"I'll just call them up," Adriana said. "Now that I think about it, why didn't I do that before?" She took out her phone and began texting Cosimo, Diana, and Emilio about finding the twins and meeting up back in the front.

"Why are you following us anyway?" Lovino asked while the twins looked around in awe.

"Is it a crime to want to hang out with you guys?" Spain answered, pouting.

"Yes," Lovino deadpanned.

"Loviiiii~!" Spain whined.

"Don't call me thaaaat," Lovino mocked. Spain pouted once more, and the twins giggled.

"Papà, it's nice when you play around!" Dante chirped.

"You aren't usually so… umm… what's the word?" Chiara said. "Oh well, it's just nice to see you happy!" Lovino blushed brightly.

"H-hey, I'm exactly as I always am!" he protested. Chiara and Dante just giggled again in reply.

"They're right you know!" Adriana exclaimed as she put her phone back in her pocket. "You're a lot more happy than you usually are!"

"Oh shut up," Lovino groaned. "If I weren't holding these two, I would hit you."

"You can't hurt me!" Adriana gasped. "You never raise a hand towards a girl!"

"Fuck you," Lovino snapped.

"I'm straight, hun," Adriana teased, smiling. Lovino glared.

"Ehhh, Lovi's not straight?" Spain asked.

"Didn't I clear this up with you before?" Lovino asked, turning his irritated glare onto him. Spain was unfazed.

"You might have, but I don't remember!" he laughed. Lovino rolled his eyes.

"I'm bisexual," he answered.

"Papà, what's bye-sec-ku-shual?" Dante asked, trying to sound it out.

"You'll learn when you're older," Lovino told him.

"What does it mean when you're straight?" Chiara added.

"As I said, you'll learn when you're older," he repeated.

"When is your definition of 'older'?" Chiara asked.

"When you're twenty," Lovino told them with a teasing smile.

"Papà, that's too long!" the twins exclaimed. Lovino chuckled and remained oblivious to Spain's mesmerized gaze on him.

Adriana wasn't though.

* * *

As Spain was watching Lovino and the twins reunite with their friends, he suddenly found himself being pulled to the side by Adriana.

"Hey, hey!" Adriana exclaimed quietly. "You like our little Lovi, right?"

"Umm, well, yes," Spain admitted, not really being one to deny something like that. "But I don't think it can really work out." He had told himself a million times that he was a nation and couldn't, after all.

"Oh come on!" Adriana whined. "You two are so right for each other! Lovi is obviously really happy with you! It's almost like he's known you for years!" Neither of them realized how true that was, although Spain felt as though something was nagging at him in the back of his mind. "Why don't you take the chance?"

"I don't know…" Spain said uncertainly. "Well, maybe I will but-"

"Go!" Adriana cheered and pushed him- right against Lovino's unsuspecting back.

"What the fuck?!" Lovino exclaimed as he was almost pushed into Diana. He whirled around angrily to face Spain.

"Ah, lo siento!" Spain said and moved away from him a bit. "Adriana pushed me!" Lovino switched his glare to Adriana, who was smiling and waving innocently, and flipped her off.

"Papà, why are you pointing that finger to Zia 'Dria?" Chiara asked innocently. Lovino instantly put down his finger and told her not to worry about it, and she nodded obediently.

"Anyway, u-umm, Lovi, can I talk to you alone?" Spain asked nervously. Lovino frowned, but nodded.

"Fine," he agreed. "And don't call me Lovi." He and Spain walked away from the group. Spain could faintly hear the giggling of Adriana behind them and talk about what was about to happen, but he noticed that Lovino remained oblivious as he looked at the stars above them.

It was nearing midnight by this time, which meant it would be New Years soon. Spain had quickly come to realize that Lovino liked romance and clichés from the way he always read cliché romance novels, so he believed this was perfect for him.

Lovino was walking a bit in front of him, and to Spain's pleasure, stopped at the perfect romantic spot, which was a bit away from everyone in a dark, grassy area that was illuminated by the lights of the festival. They could faintly hear the noise from the people at the festival. Unfortunately, there was no lake around, like in the movies, but it was good enough.

"Now what did you need?" Lovino asked, turning to face Spain with his arms crossed. Spain rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, umm… I'm just going to make this quick," he said. "Lovino Vargas. I like you." Lovino froze, letting his arms drop to his side.

"I'm sorry?" he asked.

"I like you," Spain repeated. Lovino bit the inside of his cheek and tapped a finger against his thigh, as if contemplating something.

"…Why?" he asked.

"Because you're interesting," Spain began, "and you're unpredictable. One minute you can be lashing out at me, and the next you'll be cooing over your kids like a protective mother. You act as though you have something to hide-" he didn't notice the way something flashed in Lovino's eyes, and his finger twitched at his side "-and I want to learn more about that. Plus, I love the twins and you make me feel something new bubble up inside of me. I don't know why I felt this way from the moment I met you, but I'm not complaining." Lovino stayed silent for a bit as he looked down at the ground, and Spain worried that he had done something wrong. Lovino looked back up at him.

"You're so cliché, you know that?" he said. Spain cracked a grin.

"You like clichés, don't you?" he asked. "I've seen the romance novels you read." Lovino's cheeks gained a red hue that Spain almost missed in the darkness.

"Shut up," he ordered. "Alright. I guess… I… l-like you too… bastard." Spain's grin turned into a relieved smile and he hugged him tightly.

"Yay!" he exclaimed. He could hear people begin chanting.

_Ten._

"So what does this make us?" Lovino asked, not hugging him back, but not pushing him away either.

_Nine._

"Whatever you want us to be," Spain replied as he pulled back with that bright smile on his face.

_Eight._

"Then… boyfriends, or whatever," Lovino decided, blushing brighter at saying that out loud.

_Seven._

"Alright then!" Spain laughed.

_Six._

"Does that mean I can kiss you?" Spain asked suddenly. Lovino's blush darkened.

_Five._

"Wh-what?!" he exclaimed.

_Four._

"Please?" Spain pleaded.

_Three._

"…" Lovino stayed silent as he contemplated it.

_Two._

"Fine," he agreed. Spain grinned and leaned closer.

_One._

Their lips met in a soft kiss. Lovino's arms wrapped around Spain's neck as Spain's arms wrapped around his waist.

_Zero._

In the back of their heads, they could hear fireworks. Whether that was from the New Years fireworks, or their own amazement at the kiss, they wouldn't know.


	16. Chapter 15: A Month, A Day - Valentines

_***tries desperately to make my deadlines* *fails miserably* I AM SOOOO SORRY. I got so caught up in the drama going on, and then I just got super lazy, and also there's the fact that I have no idea what people do on dates. I tried getting this in on March 17th, but then I also got lazy! But in the end, you get this chapter and the other chapter in one night! Be happy!  
**_

_**If you're wondering what happened in my life, long story short, I got asked out because of some meddling friends during a choir thing, and after four days of dancing around the topic and being awkward, I apparently said yes so now I have a boyfriend. Yeah.**_

_**THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR IN THIS CHAPTER:**_

_**~Plot holes probably**_

_**~I don't know how dates are supposed to go**_

_**~I also tried to rush this a bit so sorry about that**_

_**Hope you enjoy this chapter and please review because it is 9:30, I have three pages of math homework to complete and I wrote the last half of the next chapter in an hour so I'd really appreciate it! Thanks!**_

Chapter 15

"Sooo~?" Adriana sang as she skipped backwards beside a madly blushing Lovino. "When's the date~?"

"We need to know everything!" Emilio exclaimed.

"Can you guys just give it a rest?" Lovino exclaimed in exasperation. "I'm not telling you anything!" Adriana laughed.

"Just humor them," Cosimo sighed. "They won't give it a rest until you do."

"It is nice though," Diana commented. "The twins need another parent, and you need someone special in your life."

"You guys are the special ones in my life," Lovino said.

"Lovi, we're flattered, but you know what she meant," Emilio told him, grinning. "I know I'm no longer the one for you, so I'll support you to the very end!" He gave him thumbs up, but then yelped when Lovino hit him up over the head.

"You're an idiot," he sighed, "but you know that." Emilio grinned at him again.

After Spain had succeeded in asking out Lovino, they had returned to Lovino's friends and children. Diana and Adriana had some weird women intuition and could sense that something had happened. They immediately interrogated the two about what had happened, and eventually, Lovino muttered out the answer. Adriana cheered, Cosimo and Diana congratulated them, Emilio was stuck between cheering and pretending to be upset, Lovino was blushing brightly, Spain was thanking them, and the twins were just confused as to what was going on between their father and the nice Spanish man that they had met back in August.

They eventually met up with Canada, Prussia, Germany, America, and Veneziano and they all took some time to hang out a bit longer.

Around 2 AM, they were all dead tired and went their separate ways, although Spain followed Lovino and his friends back to his house. Spain, being the clingy person he was, demanded to sleep with Lovino, but then the twins decided they wanted to sleep with their father and forced him to sleep in the guest room. Lovino could not stop laughing as the twins childishly hugged his legs and told Spain to get lost. Spain was a bit bewildered, but also amazed by Lovino's laugh, as usual.

So the twins spent their time cuddled up against their father while Spain slept in one of the guest rooms. Adriana, Emilio, and Diana ended up staying the night too, while Cosimo left. Adriana and Emilio were apparently too tired to head home and Diana wanted to make sure they didn't get into any trouble. Diana ended up sleeping in the other guest room with Adriana while Emilio was sentenced to the couch.

When Lovino and the twins woke up, it was noon and everyone else was already awake. Diana made them brunch before she dragged Emilio and Adriana out. Lovino spent the day with Spain and the twins, although it was mostly just Spain entertaining the twins while Lovino read on the balcony.

Spain left later that night. He gave Lovino a kiss on the cheek as he was leaving, making Lovino blush brightly and hit him on the head. As soon as Spain left with a loud laugh, the twins burst out into giggles before Lovino sent them off to bed.

The next day, Lovino and his friends, along with the twins, were out on another walk, which lead to that discussion about the date. The twins basically just ignored the adults as they played I Spy and tried to spot shapes in the clouds.

"Soo~? The date~?" Adriana sang playfully, poking Lovino's shoulder. Lovino rolled his eyes.

"He has work in Spain, so it's not any time soon," he told them.

"That is so fucking lame!" Emilio exclaimed. "Can't he skip work to go out with his new boyfriend?" Lovino blushed and shrugged. He couldn't let them know that his new boyfriend – God, he'd never get used to saying that – was a nation.

"It's probably really important, and he did miss nine days," he pointed out.

"Still," Emilio said.

"Emilio, not all of us completely disregard our work like you do," Cosimo said.

"Work is quite important, especially when you miss more than a week," Diana added. Emilio just pouted.

"So, anyway, the date?" Adriana said. "When is it?"

"Umm… he wasn't exactly certain, but uh…" Lovino began blushing, and Adriana and Emilio leaned in closer to him in anticipation. "Guys, personal space!" They both pouted and moved back to their previous positions.

"So?" Diana said.

"…enti…ay…" Lovino mumbled.

"What was that?" Adriana asked excitedly.

"…alentin…da…" Lovino said a bit louder, but still not audible enough.

"We can't quite here you~," Emilio sang.

"Valentine's Day, okay?!" Lovino shouted loudly. Adriana squealed and Emilio laughed.

"I knew it~!" Adriana cheered. "I knew it, I knew it, I KNEW IT!"

"For a 20-something year old woman, you sure do act like a teenager," Lovino groaned, blushing brightly. Adriana laughed.

"Darling, I'm not letting my age get the best of me!" she said. "I'm going to continue acting as a teenager, because being a teenager is fun!" Lovino didn't miss the flash of… something in her eyes, but he chose not to say anything about it in favor of trying to get Emilio to shut up as he sang something about Lovino finally having moved on from his undying love for him.

"They sure are lively, like teenagers," Diana commented fondly. Cosimo nodded.

"Yeah, it's amazing how they could be so carefree despite their jobs and everything," he added. "Especially Lovino."

"Well, this time, he should be rather carefree," Diana told him. "He's been so stressed lately. I think Antonio will be good for him."

"I think Emilio and Adriana will agree with me when I say that if he does anything, he'd probably have to answer to all of us," Cosimo said with a chuckle. Diana laughed and nodded in agreement. They continued watching as Lovino tried to convince the twins that he was not going to cheat on Antonio with Emilio as Emilio and Adriana laughed in the background.

* * *

Valentine's Day

"Why do you have so much Gucci and Armani and Versace and Prada and all that designer stuff in your closet?" Adriana whined as she shifted through Lovino's wardrobe. "It makes it so much harder to choose what you should wear!"

Adriana and Emilio were at Lovino's house early in the morning while the twins were getting ready to spend their day at Diana's house, where Adriana would be dropping them off. The twins didn't want to stay at home all day, and Diana's nieces were coming over, so they wanted to play with them while Lovino was with Spain all day. Adriana and Emilio wanted to help Lovino get ready.

"You realize this is just a casual thing, right?" Lovino asked incredulously. "I have all these designer clothes because I'm fucking rich."

"We've heard that speech before," Emilio said, looking at the clothes Adriana had thrown to the ground. "You're not that rich though." Lovino scoffed, but didn't say anything else.

"Look, I'll just wear some jeans and-" he began, only to be stopped by a loud gasp from both Emilio and Adriana.

"Absolutely not!" they yelled in unison.

"You need to be absolutely fabulous!" Adriana declared. "Such casual clothes would just not do! Jeans are alright, but not a regular t-shirt!"

"You are not dressing me up as a hipster," Lovino told her.

"But you look absolutely adorable as one!" Emilio whined.

"Shut up," Lovino ordered. "I'm not adorable."

"Riiiiiggghhht," Adriana said. "How about wearing your glasses? You look nice with them on." She held up the case in which Lovino kept his reading glasses. Lovino snatched those out of her hand.

"No." He placed them back on their place beside his bed. Adriana pouted, but continued to go through his closet.

"Ughhh, this is so hard," she whined. "Do you have anything that isn't designer?"

"Gilbert sent me some clothes a while ago," Lovino said with a shrug. "Does that count? Pretty sure they weren't designer considering he has no sense of fashion." Adriana's eyes lit up.

"Where?!" she asked. Lovino reached under his bed and pulled out two large boxes.

"Full of clothes," he said, pushing them towards her. "Knock yourself out." Adriana squealed and ushered Emilio to join her in beginning to rifle through the boxes.

Lovino sighed as he stared at the outfit that had been forced upon him. In hindsight, it could have been worse, so he opted to not complain this time.

"Perfect!" Emilio cheered.

"I am so amazing!" Adriana exclaimed.

"It could be hipster clothes, I guess…" Lovino muttered.

Lovino was wearing regular blue jeans and a red skin tight tank top. He had on a black sweater over it, along with a red jacket over that, and an Italian flag square scarf over his shoulders. To top it off, he had on black combat boots.

"Papà, are you all done?" Chiara asked, poking her head into the doorway. Lovino and his friends turned their heads towards her and her brother and Lovino quickly made his way over to her.

"Yes, I am, sweetie," he answered, picking her and Dante up. "I have to head straight to the park to meet up with Antonio, so Adriana will be dropping you off at Diana's house. Don't cause her and her nieces any trouble, alright? That goes for the both of you."

"Sì, Papà," the twins chimed obediently. Lovino nodded and kissed the tops of their heads.

"Alright, Papà has to go now," he told them as he glanced at the clock. "Would you like to be carried to Adrianna's car, or do you want to walk?"

"Carry us, Papà!" Dante exclaimed before Chiara could say anything. Lovino chuckled and headed out to Adriana's car. He waited for Adriana to follow them out and set up their car seats before he put them down and buckled them in.

"Okay, I'll see you two around six tonight, okay?" he said. The twins nodded and he smiled at them. He gave them each another kiss on their heads before turning to Adriana and Emilio.

"I hate to say this, but… thanks," he told them.

"Happy to help, Lovino!" Emilio said. "Now go on your date!" Lovino smiled a bit.

"Yeah, I'm going," he said. "Oh, and Emilio, I'm glad you're not bitter about this." Emilio shook his head, still smiling.

"I still like you, but this makes you happy!" he said. "I'll find someone else! Now go!" Lovino nodded and waved before beginning to jog towards the park.

* * *

Spain waited anxiously for Lovino to arrive at the park they were to meet at. He was, obviously, very excited, because there was something about Lovino that made him want to see him all the time. For the past couple of years, Spain had felt as though there was something missing in his life, but ever since he met Lovino and the twins, he hadn't felt as empty as back then. It was weird, since he'd never felt that hole in the years before he felt it, but if Lovino filled that, then who cared? Certainly not Spain.

"Oi! Ba- Antonio!" Spain heard Lovino's voice call out. He turned with a bright smile as he watched him jog over. He could tell that the only reason Lovino didn't call out "bastard" was to not ruin any children's ears.

"Lovi! You actually came!" Spain called out, waving his arms around excitedly. Lovino slowed to a stop in front of him and stared at him critically. Just as Spain was about to ask what was wrong, Lovino slapped him over the head.

"You're a fucking idiot," he said. "Don't wave like that. It's weird. And do you even know fashion? Geez, the only reason I'm in this fucking outfit is because Gucci is too fancy for… whatever it is we're doing." Spain laughed sheepishly.

"Ahahaha, sorry, sorry!" he apologized. "I've never been one for fashion, and, well, when I called my friend for advice, he sounded a bit… busy." By busy, he meant that he could obviously hear France's grunts of pleasure and what was presumably England's moans and demands for him to _get off the phone and get back to fucking him goddammit._ But Lovino didn't need to know that part.

"Whatever," Lovino sighed. "I guess it doesn't matter. Anyway, what were you planning on doing for this date?" He blushed lightly at having mentioned that this was a date, and Spain mentally cooed at how cute he was.

"Well, I noticed a lot of the books you liked had a lot of romance and some clichés so I thought we could do something that you seemed to like!" Spain said brightly. "You ate lunch already, right?" Lovino nodded. "Great! I'm going to take you to a movie! And I also noticed how you loved fashion and would sometimes stop to look at some things in the store, so maybe we could go to the mall too! And then we'd catch dinner and it'd all be good in the end!"

"You're an idiot, but whatever," Lovino muttered. "Honestly, that is a pretty terrible idea, but I guess I'll go along with it. It might be fun." He shrugged, and Spain cheered.

"Hooray!" he exclaimed. "Come on, the movie's starting soon!" He grabbed onto Lovino's hand and began pulling him towards his rented car so they could head to the movie theater. He felt Lovino's grip tighten around his hand, and in the corner of his eye, he saw his cheeks turn a rosy pink, despite Lovino's protests at being pulled along. All of this just made Spain grin wider. He really was so cute.

* * *

Spain and Lovino left the movie theater feeling… quite disappointed at the quality of the movie. It was about war or something like that, but they had both gotten bored and slightly angry at the misinterpretations, although Spain had no idea of Lovino's anger while Lovino knew of Spain's. Furthermore, the effects were terrible and the acting was not so good.

"I had no idea that the movie was going to be that bad," Spain sulked. "I'm sorry, Lovi… I thought it would be better." Lovino sighed and waved him off.

"Whatever, it was a bit entertaining though," he said. "Wait, who gave you permission to call me 'Lovi?'" Spain just responded with a cheeky smile, and Lovino hit him over the head.

"So anyway, it's time to let you do whatever you want at the mall!" Spain exclaimed. "Come on!"

"You do know where the mall is, right?" Lovino asked incredulously. Spain nodded excitedly.

"Yes, I remember from one of my last visits!" he answered. "Hey, maybe we could go ice skating again! That was really fun!" Lovino nodded, and blushed for reasons Spain didn't really understand. He shrugged it off though. Lovino was still blushing and was absolutely adorable, so who cared for his reasons?

"Okay," Lovino agreed. Spain smiled wider and kissed Lovino's cheek before taking his hand and leading him back to the car to the mall. Lovino's cheeks turned brighter, and Spain laughed as Lovino started muttering curses towards him under his breath.

* * *

Despite Lovino having protested about going to the mall because he was not a girl, it was obvious that he was getting excited about being able to buy more things. He was demanding that Spain let him go to many different stores (including some video game stores, to Spain's surprise). For a while, it was just Spain watching in amusement as Lovino practically tore apart every store and bought way too many bags of clothes, video games, etc.

"Antonio, we're going in there," Lovino ordered and dragged Spain into another store. It wasn't like one of the stores Lovino had dragged him to before, Spain realized. It was a children's store. Spain cooed as Lovino looked around for things to get his children.

"Sir, do you need any help with anything?" an employee asked Spain once she saw him just standing around. Spain looked at her with a smile and shook his head.

"No, I'm just waiting for him," he answered, pointing to Lovino, who was looking at some stuffed animals. The employee nodded, blushing a bit as she noticed how handsome both the men were.

"Alright," she said and walked away to talk to another employee that was squealing about something. Spain laughed and continued waiting for Lovino to finish with what he was doing.

"Okay, I'm done," Lovino said, holding up a bag to show that he had purchased some things.

"What did you buy for Chiara and Dante?" Spain asked as they walked out of the store. They both ignored the sighing women watching them leave.

"I bought some new clothes for them, and some toys and stuffed animals," Lovino explained. "I got Chiara a stuffed wolf and Dante a bull. Those are their favorite animals."

"Haha, wow, I like bulls too!" Spain exclaimed happily. "Wolves are cool too, but I'll always love bulls the best!"

"Isn't Spain known for killing bulls for fun?" Lovino asked incredulously. Spain laughed sheepishly.

"Yeah, but I still love them!" he said. Lovino shrugged.

"Whatever," he said.

"Hey, how do you afford all these things you bought?" Spain asked, because Lovino really did have way too many bags on his arm.

"I have a lot of money," Lovino said. "I am actually pretty rich, you know." Spain hummed.

"Huh, I didn't know that, but okay!" Spain said cheerfully. "Hey, let's go ice skating again!"

"You were serious about that?!" Lovino asked.

"Yep!" Spain grinned. "Soooo?" Lovino sighed.

"No!"

"Awww!" Spain pouted. "Fine, whatever my Lovi wants."

"I'm not yours, and don't call me that!" Lovino growled. Spain just smiled innocently.

"So then what should we do?" Spain asked. "More shopping?" Lovino shook his head.

"No, how about… arcade?" he suggested. "That's more of what teenagers would do, but I haven't been to one in a long time, so it's better than nothing." Spain nodded enthusiastically. He hadn't been to one in decades, actually. It would be fun.

"Sure!" he agreed happily.

"Don't drag me this time!" Lovino ordered. "Let's go." He began walking in the direction of the arcade, which was in the mall. Spain grinned and followed after him.

* * *

"Wow, Lovi, you're really good at this!" Spain exclaimed as he watched Lovino beat a bunch of gamers at some video games in the arcade. Lovino shrugged. He was playing a multi-player racing game at the moment.

"Matthew, Alfred, and I used to play a lot," he explained, and then cheered as he got yet another victory. "I got good at it because I loved seeing Alfred getting frustrated at me. Matthew was surprisingly good at it, and we got into ties a lot. Alfred hates that." Spain laughed.

(That was mostly true, but even after the twins were born, Lovino occasionally still played video games. He found them fun and a bit relaxing at times. He knew either Dante or Chiara or both would find video games fun at some point, so he thought he could even play with them when that happened)

"Wow, sounds like fun!" he said. "Hey, how about giving me a try at beating you?" Lovino shrugged as he beat another player who'd tried their hand.

"Go ahead," he said, jerking his head to the seat beside him. Spain grinned and sat beside his new boyfriend.

"I think I'm quite good at this myself, but let's see!" he said cheerfully, and the game began.

It ended with Lovino winning and Spain far behind. Spain just laughed it off though, saying it was a good game.

"Do you even play video games at all?" Lovino asked incredulously as he got off the game and headed to another one. Spain smiled sheepishly.

"I don't really have much time," he answered. "I only play sometimes with Gilbert."

"That explains it," Lovino said. "Do you wanna keep playing or no?" Spain nodded.

"Let's keep playing!" he exclaimed. "I want to try to get better while we're here! Besides, it's only 5:30 and the reservation at the restaurant isn't until 6:30!" Lovino nodded.

"Okay," he agreed. Spain immediately bounded off to another game with Lovino following behind with all his bags from their earlier shopping spree.

They spent thirty minutes at the arcade, and then left to head to Spain's car. Lovino dumped his bags in the back and then got into the passenger's seat.

"So what's this restaurant we're going to?" Lovino asked.

"Oh, I should have told you earlier!" Spain groaned. "It's actually pretty fancy, so I need to drop you off so you can get changed, and I need to head to the hotel! You're okay with this, right?" Lovino slapped his palm to his forehead, then sighed.

"You idiot," he said. "Fine, whatever. Remember to tell me this shit next time." Spain nodded as he drove off.

"Promise!" he said.

* * *

As promised, Spain dropped Lovino off at his place before heading to his hotel. He was really glad that Gilbert had reminded him before leaving to pack a suit, or else he'd had to get rid of the reservations. He wondered what Lovino would look like in a suit, but he was sure that he would look amazing. In Spain's eyes, Lovino looked amazing in everything.

It took about ten minutes for Spain to get ready, and then he quickly headed to Lovino's house. He knocked on the door and waited for two minutes before Lovino opened the door wearing Gucci.

"Wow, you clean up good!" Spain praised, smiling. Lovino blushed at his gaze roaming over his body.

"Yeah, well, so do you I guess," Lovino muttered. "Now let's fucking go or else we'll miss the reservation." Spain nodded and led Lovino out to his car.

After almost missing their reservation, but making it just in time, Lovino and Spain were seated in a private room of the restaurant.

"I'm surprised you went through a bunch of trouble to get a reservation here," Lovino commented. "Why?" Spain smiled.

"Because I really like you, and you deserve this," he said. "Besides, it must be hard for you with having to take care of two twins on your own." Lovino shrugged.

"Not really," he told him. "My friends help a lot, and the twins themselves are usually angels. I say usually because they can be demons when they want to be."

"Yes, I can see that," Spain chuckled. He and Lovino looked at their menus.

"This place really is fancy," Lovino mumbled as he looked at the dishes. "I feel like I should just get pasta again."

"Do you always have pasta?" Spain asked. Lovino nodded.

"Usually, or salad, and pancakes for breakfast, and, uhh, yeah," he responded.

"Then you should get something different!" Spain told him. "Variety, you know?" Lovino shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess, what about you?" he asked.

They talked for a bit about what they would eat and about the twins and their friends before the waiter came along. Spain ordered for Lovino, which made Lovino blush and say that he didn't have to. The waiter nodded as he took down their orders, and then he left.

"Seriously, though, you don't have to order for me," Lovino insisted. Spain just chuckled.

"But it's a cliché, and you like clichés," he retorted. Lovino huffed and leaned forward to smack him lightly over the head.

"Idiot," he said. Spain grinned as he rubbed his head.

"Hey, why don't I tell you a bit about myself?" he suggested. "I know about you, but you don't know anything about me." Lovino gave him a weird look, then shrugged.

"Okay, go ahead," he said. Spain beamed and began talking.

"Well, I have lots of siblings!" he began. "I'm closest to my older brother, but even that's a bit of a stretch. Not many of my siblings really like me all that much actually, but we still care for each other! I used to be a-a delinquent in high school! I got into a lot of fights with Arthur! Do you remember Arthur? The British guy with the large eyebrows? Him! We got into fights a lot! And to be honest, Alfred and I don't get along all that well, but we still get along better than me and Arthur! Hmm… what else? Oh! I like tomatoes! And I think that's all you really need to know!" Spain couldn't really say much more than that. He was a nation, unfortunately, so he had to edit his life a lot, but he tried to stick to the truth as much as he could.

"Okay then…" Lovino hummed. "When I was a teenager, I wasn't really that popular, but I didn't really care. I had the childrens' mother as my friend, and a few others. I was a bit of a troublemaker, and really lazy. I passed though, and I'm fairly successful." He shrugged. Spain thought that there was too little of Lovino's story, but he didn't really think much of it.

The food eventually came after a long while of Lovino and Spain waiting. Lovino whined a bit, and Spain could tell the waiter was annoyed by it, but fortunately, he couldn't do anything about it. He just bowed and apologized before leaving.

"That's what I hate about these restaurants," Lovino said as he began eating. "They always take fucking forever." Spain nodded in agreement.

"But the food is good!" he chirped, taking a bite of his own food.

"I prefer the casual things," Lovino told him. "Plus, this isn't as good as special recipes." His eyes began clouded, and after a bit, Spain waved his hand in front of his face. He snapped out of it quickly.

"Did the twins' mother make special food?" Spain asked. Lovino nodded, almost hesitantly for reasons Spain didn't understand. Anytime he asked about the mother of the twins, Lovino always seemed reluctant to tell him anything. He understood though, so he didn't pester him too much.

"Anyway, what else could we talk about?" Lovino asked. "I… don't want to think about her." Spain nodded.

"Well, umm, did I already ask where the twins were?" he asked. Lovino shrugged.

"Beats me, but I'll tell you anyway," he said. "They're with Diana. I didn't want to leave them at home all day with a babysitter." Spain nodded, making an 'o' shape with his mouth.

"Well, that's good!" he said. "You really care for the twins! It's nice! Luckily I love kids too!"

"I was always good with kids, probably because I always wanted a little sibling to take care of," Lovino said. His eyes wandered down to the table, beginning to clench his fork in his hands. Spain watched him in concern. He wondered what he was so angry about.

"Lovi?" he said. "Are you okay?" Lovino looked back up at him and nodded.

"Yeah, fine, sorry, I just keep thinking about… stuff…" he told him. "It's nothing. I don't mean to ruin our… date." Spain pursed his lips.

"If I say anything to make you uncomfortable, just tell me," he said. He didn't want to make Lovino upset, especially on their first date. It pained him greatly to see Lovino upset, more than it probably should have.

"Yeah, I know, don't worry," Lovino insisted. "I'm fine, let's just change the subject again." Spain nodded slowly and quickly changed the topic.

Throughout the date, Spain had made extra careful not to say anything that might have made Lovino upset. He found that the topic of family and past relationships had made him upset, so they talked more about work and personal lives. Lovino seemed fine talking about his friends, so Spain thought he might have had a strained relationship with his parents.

Lovino had accidentally annoyed the waiter a bit too much, but when the waiter acted upon it, he got in trouble. Lovino just had a shit-eating grin on his face, and Spain couldn't help but chuckle. The waiter seemed to want to attack Lovino, but he obviously knew he couldn't, so he just sniffed and left. Lovino was happy about "putting a goddamn bastard in his fucking place," so who was Spain to ruin that for him.

So the dinner went pretty well despite that, and Spain thought the entire date was okay. He was a bit mad at himself for having made Lovino a bit upset a few times, but Lovino just hit him on the head and told him not to worry and that he was being an idiot. Spain laughed and kissed Lovino's cheek, to which he blushed in response and turned away.

* * *

Spain followed Lovino as he headed up the steps to his house. He had just dropped him off and was just waiting for him to walk in.

"Aren't you going to pick up the twins?" Spain asked. Lovino turned to him and shook his head.

"No," he responded. "I'm changing first, and then I'm leaving." Spain nodded.

"Okay," he said. "Oh! I'll try visiting at least once a month, and I'll be sure to text you lots and lots okay! And call when I have time!" Lovino's cheeks turned a light red color.

"Idiot," he muttered. "Whatever, okay." Spain beamed.

"Oh, and before I go~," he sang, and wrapped an arm around Lovino, pulling him to his chest, "I'm stealing a kiss from you." He smiled mischievously.

"Wha-?" Before Lovino could finish his sentence or completely comprehend what he'd just said, Spain pressed his lips to his in a sweet, yet passionate kiss (he _is_ the country of passion, after all). Lovino was too surprised to respond for about a second before he returned the kiss.

It stayed nothing but sweet for about ten more seconds, but then Spain licked Lovino's bottom lip, and Lovino opened his mouth. Spain entered his mouth, and it quickly became hotter and it wasn't sweet at all anymore.

Spain pressed Lovino up against the door to his house as their tongues danced in each other's mouths. Lovino's hands ran through his hair as he seemed to try to pull him closer. Both were gasping and making small noises between kisses, and it seemed to last for eternity before Lovino pulled away a bit.

"I-I, uhmm…" he gulped a bit, trying to regain air. "I-I have to get… get the twins…" Spain nodded a bit as he tried to regain air as well. He slowly pried himself away from Lovino.

"Yeah, umm… I'll see you another time then?" he said, although it sounded more like a question than a statement. Lovino nodded.

"Yeah… another time," he agreed. He quickly unlocked his door, and then looked back at Spain. After what seemed to be a moment of consideration, he leaned up and gave him another kiss before quickly heading inside. Spain noticed that the tips of his ears were bright red, and he grinned widely as he headed back to his car.

"God, I'm so head over heels for this man…" he murmured happily to himself as he got in his car and drove off.

Lovino quickly fixed himself up in more casual clothes, and he fixed his hair as well before heading to Diana's house to pick up the twins.

"Thanks for looking after them, Di," he thanked her as the twins put their shoes on.

"You know I don't mind, Lovino," Diana told him. "They're welcome whenever you need to be alone or are busy." Lovino nodded and looked at the twins.

"Ready to go, you two?" he asked. The twins nodded, both grinning widely.

"Yep!" they chirped in unison. "Let's go Papà! Bye Zia Diana!" They waved as they each took one of their father's hands, and then left.

The car ride home was basically the twins excitedly talking about what they had done at Diana's house as Lovino listened intently and occasionally made interested comments in something or other. The kids only asked how Lovino's day went before going on and on about their day. Lovino didn't mind though. He liked listening to hid kids.

* * *

Later that night, it was quiet. The twins were asleep, so Lovino was left to his own thoughts in the silence. He mused over the date.

At the beginning of the date, when Spain had talked about ice skating, he had remembered his dream from a long while ago, and it made him blush and get embarrassed. He was glad Spain hadn't asked.

During dinner, Spain had talked about "the childrens' mother" and Lovino was painfully reminded of what they had done together, as Spain and Romano. They had never been anything more than friends, and it still pained Lovino now. He wondered why Spain was interested in him now that he was human, but he once again chalked it up as him not knowing him in and out like he did as a nation. Somewhere, deep, deep inside him, he knew that that was bullshit, but as it was, he didn't realize it.

They had also talked about Lovino and why he was so good with kids. While Lovino did have Veneziano as his younger brother, and he had had Seborga as well, he'd never really gotten around to taking care of them. Seborga wasn't really around at the time, and Veneziano was taken by their grandfather. By the time he'd come back, he didn't need his temper tantrum older brother. So it wasn't really a lie that Lovino had never been able to take care of any younger siblings.

Such topics hurt. His relationships were all one-night stands or fake, and Spain didn't even remember when they slept together. His grandfather always seemed disappointed in him, and he knew that neither Veneziano nor Seborga really needed him anymore. He knew that they all loved him, but Spain had loved him as a friend, maybe even a brother. His grandfather had not taken him along with Veneziano and had compared them before, and Veneziano and Seborga just didn't rely on him like he wanted them too.

He was happy that Spain seemed to actually be interested in him romantically this time around, but he knew they wouldn't actually last long. Lovino was no longer a nation, so Spain would have to break up with him eventually.

He felt bad for having brought about a depressing mood during dinner, but he was glad that Spain was so considerate. He still kept up his pride and reprimanded him for it though. The kiss was every bit as amazing as he'd remembered similar kisses from… way back then.

(_God_, he still remembered every detail. He remembered every touch of Spain's fingertips, every whispered word into his ear, every grunt of pleasure, every thrust inside him, every bite on his body, every single thing, and _oh God_ how it _hurt_ to remember)

Lovino breathed in a shaky breath, trying to dispel those sort of thoughts. He didn't want to think of the pain he'd gone through back then. He still loved the twins and wouldn't trade them for anything in the world, though. It almost made him think that they were worth it, and perhaps, they really were.

(No, he knew they were. And if it came down to either being a nation and with Spain, or being human and having the twins, he'd choose the twins in a heartbeat. Because they were a bit more important than being in a relationship with a man who used to be his boss)

He decided to enjoy this relationship while it lasted, and with that thought in mind, Lovino turned off the lamp beside him and closed his eyes, ready to just sleep and forget everything, if just for one more night.


	17. Chapter 16: And Repeat - Happy Birthday

_**I should also ask you all not to kill me, but hey, at least I got this chapter done! If you want a full story of what I'd talked about in my life in the last chapter, just PM me or something and I'll tell you the whole thing and any updates you possibly want. I doubt you do though, but who knows.**_

_**And in other news, I am now obsessed with Homestuck and Five Nights at Freddy's. Yet more fandoms to consume my soul. Also, I posted a PruCan with a partially-snapped Canada if you're interested. I'm focusing more on finishing this fic first though.**_

_**THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR IN THIS CHAPTER:**_

_**~Fluff**_

_**~I couldn't find an accurate enough date for the twins' birthday, so I made one up**_

_**~Homophobic bitch**_

**_~Plot holes maybe, idk_**

**_Enjoy this chapter as well and please review! Thanks!_**

Chapter 16

March 17

It was Italy's birthday, so Spain was in Rome, Italy to celebrate it with the other nations. He had arrived in Rome late the night before and was going to surprise Lovino with a visit the next day. He was staying for five days before he would leave, but it was enough time to spend a lot of time with all the nations and Lovino and the twins.

Prussia and America had basically set the whole thing up for Italy, although he was perfectly happy with helping, and so it started at noon and ended whenever everyone decided to leave Italy's house. There was tons of food and alcohol, courtesy of most nations since they didn't want to eat America's food. America did provide the music though.

Italy was made to make a short speech before sitting down, which was basically, "Thanks for coming everyone! Enjoy my party! And don't forget to eat your pasta!" before the party started. Everyone had just gotten straight to giving Italy their presents and giving him yet another "Happy birthday" in their own languages.

Spain made sure not to get drunk like a lot of the other nations, namely England and Prussia, so he wouldn't be hungover when he visited Lovino. He still had fun and interacted with everyone and played games, but he just didn't get drunk like he usually did.

"You are actually sober for once, Antoine," France commented later in the evening, gliding over to stand beside his friend. Spain grinned and nodded.

"I want to go somewhere early tomorrow, so I don't want to be hung over for it," he explained. "Why are you sober?"

"Someone has to drive England back to the hotel," France answered. Spain nodded in understanding and looked around.

"Where's Feli?" he asked. He still had yet to wish him a happy birthday. He'd already placed his presents with all the other ones, but he'd been unable to get to Italy. France shrugged.

"I don't know," he told him. "Why don't you have a look around?" Spain nodded and said goodbye to his friend before heading off to find Italy.

After passing by quite a few would-be disturbing scenes (Prussia molesting America's brother, Austria trying to do… something to the piano, Greece, Japan, and Turkey attempting a drunken threesome, etc), Spain reached a more quiet area of the house, also known as the hallway in the back of the house where Italy's bedroom was. He couldn't find Italy anywhere else in the house, so he assumed that Italy might have been in his bedroom. Spain thought that that was a bit weird, but he decided that Italy probably wanted some more quiet.

He neared the bedroom and was about to knock, but he heard Italy speaking to someone. It couldn't have been Germany, since he was still at the party. He was probably on the phone.

"…ve come," Italy was saying, a slightly sad tone in his voice. "You like parties." Spain couldn't make out what the person on the other end of the phone call was saying, but he did hear Italy sigh sadly.

"Yeah, I know…" Italy mumbled. "But still, I would have liked it if you could have come. You only stayed for a few hours and then left again." He paused again as he waited for the person's response. Spain definitely heard a faint clanging sound on the other side of the phone call, and Italy winced as he held his phone away from his ear. After a bit, the noise on the other end subsided and Italy held the phone back to his ear.

"I guess you're a bit busy now," he said. "I'll talk to you later, okay?" He paused for a few seconds, and then smiled brightly. "You too. Goodnight!" He hung up the phone and sighed again. Spain frowned. It wasn't like Italy to be upset.

He decided to pretend that he didn't hear anything, and he knocked on the door. Italy was probably startled by his presence, because it took him a few seconds to allow him to enter the room. Spain walked in with a smile.

"Hòla Feli!" he greeted. "I haven't said happy birthday to you yet, so feliz cumpleaños, Feliciano!" Italy smiled brightly and nodded.

"Grazie!" he responded.

"Why are you all the way over here and not at the party?" Spain asked curiously.

"I just had a short phone call to make!" Italy told him. "Let's go back together! Luddy is probably wondering where I am!" Spain nodded and they both headed out back to the party.

* * *

Lovino hung up the phone and turned to where Emilio had made the small table beside his couch fall over and break, as the top of it was glass. He glared menacingly at his ex as he placed his phone on the couch. Emilio chuckled nervously and backed away from him slowly.

"Hey now, Lovi…" he stammered. "Let's not do anything hasty…." He quickly darted away from Lovino's sight, but Lovino didn't bother going after him. He looked at the mess of glass on carpet and sighed. _That's going to be a pain to clean up…_ he thought.

"Chiara, Dante, don't touch the glass," he ordered quickly as he saw the twins beginning to reach curiously for the broken pieces. They looked up at their father curiously.

"Why?" they asked.

"Because broken glass is sharp and will hurt you," Lovino told them, kneeling down to their level and kissing their hands. "I don't want you to cut yourselves by accident." Chiara and Dante nodded.

"Okay Papà," they chorused.

"Go play with your aunts and uncles for a bit while I clean this up," Lovino told them. They nodded and hugged him quickly before leaving to find their father's friends. Lovino looked at the glass with a frown, and then got to cleaning.

It took longer than it should have at a full fifteen minutes, but Lovino was still cautious about stepping on any glass in the carpet.

"Chiara, Dante, wear something to protect your feet when you walk on the carpet in the living room," he told the twins once he found them playing with Diana's nieces.

"Why?" Chiara asked.

"Because there might still be glass on the floor and you could hurt yourselves," Lovino told them. "I'd rather you two be safe." They nodded.

"Hey we should go bowling!" Emilio suggested randomly. "We haven't done much today anyway!"

"Yeah, let's go!" Adriana cheered.

"Okay, but Emilio, you're buying me a new table and paying for the bowling because you broke the table and there's the possibility of my kids getting hurt," Lovino told him, glaring. Emilio whined and pouted, but didn't protest in fear of being attacked by the Italian.

* * *

At the bowling alley, Diana took pity on Emilio and helped him pay for everything, to which he called her an angel sent from above. Lovino ruined his happiness by telling him that he still had to pay for his new table.

So as Emilio sulked, Lovino got everything ready and they began bowling. The twins played on one lane while Adriana, Diana, Emilio, and Cosimo played on another and Lovino alternated between the two lanes so he could play for fun with the twins and competitively with his friends.

The twins had never been bowling before, so Lovino first made sure to show them how to hold the ball and he helped them with trying to knock down the pins. He explained to Chiara that no, she could not try rolling the bowling balls towards other people, and he told Dante that he could not run up the lane and then roll the ball.

The adults' game ended with Cosimo winning and Diana losing in last place. The twins' game won with Dante winning and Lovino having purposely gotten last place. Chiara still threw a fit and tried to tackle Dante, but Lovino held her back.

"How about some food before we go?" Cosimo said as they walked out of the bowling alley. It was pretty dark out by that time, but they hadn't eaten dinner yet.

"Yeah, sure, I'll pay this time," Lovino agreed.

"No, I'll pay!" Adriana cut in. "It's your birthday, so you shouldn't have to do anything!" Lovino just shrugged. He didn't want to argue with her, and anyway, it meant he didn't have to lose money.

* * *

Lovino woke up the next morning to his phone ringing, and a slight headache. After having put the kids to bed, Cosimo and Adriana had stayed over for a little while longer, so they decided to have a drink. Lovino ended up getting a tiny bit tipsy, but he was still rather sober, so he quickly told Cosimo and Adriana that they should probably leave, and then he headed to bed before he could break anything and wake the kids up.

"Hello?" Lovino said as he groggily answered the phone, his eyes closing once again once he answered.

"Lovi? Did I wake you?" Spain's voice came from the other line. Lovino opened his eyes a bit, surprised that Spain had called.

"Yeah, you did," he answered. "What did you want? I'm so fucking tired, oh my fuck…"

"Sorry Lovi, but is your door unlocked?" Spain asked.

"Yeah, why?" Lovino answered. He remembered that he hadn't locked his front door the night before, because he was so focused on heading to bed.

"Oh no reason!" Spain said cheerfully, and loudly, which made Lovino groan.

"Too loud, bastard," he said. "Whatever, I'm fucking tired. I'm hanging up."

"Oh, okay Lovi!" Spain said, quieter this time. "Sleep tight." Lovino simply hummed in response before hanging up and tossing his phone back on his bedside table. He buried his head in his pillow again and tried to fall asleep as he blocked out the light streaming through his curtains.

He missed the sound of his front door opening and closing downstairs.

* * *

Chiara and Dante were already awake by that time, and they definitely heard the door open as they wondered where their father was. They cautiously exited their room and headed downstairs, fearful of who might have been there. Their father would have definitely told them if he was going somewhere, after all.

"Hòla!" a familiar, Spanish-accented voice greeted, and they jumped in surprise as Antonio suddenly appeared.

"Zio Toni!" Dante gasped. "Why are you here?"

"I'm surprising your Papà for a visit!" Antonio explained, lowering his voice to a whisper. "So be super quiet! He doesn't know I'm here!" He held a finger to his lips and winked. The twins grinned and held a finger to their lips.

"Shhhh," they shushed each other. They nodded to Antonio.

"I think Papà's still asleep," Chiara whispered.

"Let's jump on his bed, like on Christmas!" Dante cheered, only to be shushed by his sister.

"No, you're father sounded really tired, so that might irritate him," Antonio told him, smiling apologetically. Dante pouted and Chiara tried scolding him for having thought about making things hard for their dad.

"Then what should we do?" Dante asked.

"How about you two help me make him his favorite breakfast and he can have it in bed?" Antonio suggested, grinning happily again. Dante and Chiara nodded.

"Papà likes pancakes!" Chiara told him. "Let's make that!"

"We'll make breakfast for you two as well," Antonio said and headed to the kitchen with the twins happily following him.

* * *

Lovino felt fingers threading through his hair as he slowly woke up again, and he made a small noise of approval, leaning into the fingers a bit. For a moment, he was Romano again, waking up to Spain lightly stroking his hair and humming a song quietly to him.

"Wake up, Lovi," a familiar voice sang quietly. "I made your favorite."

"Mmnn… Spain…" Lovino hummed sleepily. The fingers stopped for a moment, and he opened his eyes to see why the fingers had stopped. He saw Spain sitting there with furrowed eyebrows, and suddenly everything came back to him. He gasped and slapped his hand away.

"Sp- Antonio you bastard!" he exclaimed, sitting up and ignoring the sudden headache and short loss of eye focus. "What the fuck are you doing here?" He worried that Spain had heard him say his real name, but he only seemed a bit confused.

"Lovi, you shouldn't swear in front of your children!" Spain scolded him lightly, although he was grinning a bit. Lovino glanced around a bit and found the twins at the foot of his bed, holding hands with their heads tilted to the side.

"Oh, sorry," he apologized, mostly to the twins, before looking back at Spain. "So why are you here?"

"Can't I surprise you for a visit?" Spain asked with a small pout. "It was Feli's birthday yesterday, so me and a bunch of other people came to celebrate and now I'm staying for another four days! I decided that I'm going to spend all that time with you and your twins!"

"Papà! You're birthday was yesterday too!" Dante exclaimed. "Zio Toni, you should have come over here too!"

"Zio…?" Spain muttered questioningly. "Dante, Chiara, call me Padre from now on!"

"What?! No!" Lovino protested. "We're not married, you idiot!"

"Okay, Padre!" the twins chimed.

"Chiara, Dante!" Lovino looked at the twins pleadingly, but they just smiled obliviously at him.

"Wait, would that make Papà, Mamma instead?" Chiara asked.

"Ohh yeah, Luna says that most kids have one Papà and one Mamma…" Dante hummed. They looked at their father, who was sighing in exasperation.

"What do you think Papà?" they asked in unison.

"Keep calling me Papà, and just call him Antonio, okay?" Lovino told them tiredly. "You can't call him Padre unless we get married." Dante and Chiara nodded.

"Okay Papà!" they said.

"Wait, okay, did Dante say that yesterday was your birthday too?" Spain asked, looking at Lovino in shock. He nodded.

"Yeah, March 17th," he told him. "I spent the day with my friends and the twins, so don't worry about it."

"Lovi, I should worry about it!" Spain exclaimed. "We're dating now! I should know these things! I missed your _birthday_! That's a pretty big deal! How old are you now?"

"Papà's forever 21!" Dante cheered. Lovino shook his head. He never really knew where Dante and Chiara got the idea that he was 21. He was actually much, much older than that, but now he was human, so he had a human age.

"I'm actually 26," he told Spain. "But as I said, you don't have to worry about it."

"It does matter!" Spain insisted. "When are the twins' birthday? I want to be able to celebrate with them on that day too!"

"April 20!" Chiara said.

"I'll mark that in my calendar and make sure to come around at that time!" Spain promised. "For now, Lovi, as an apology, Chiara, Dante, and I made you breakfast! It's pancakes!" He held up the tray and placed it on Lovino's lap. Lovino raised an eyebrow. The pancakes were slightly burnt and were a weird shape that was probably some sort of attempt to make into an animal, but he wouldn't reject anything the twins made, so he ate it anyway.

"Matthew's is still better, but Chiara, Dante, you did a good job," Lovino praised. Chiara and Dante beamed and hugged each other happily, unable to hug Lovino since he was still eating.

"What about me?" Spain whined.

"You helped," Lovino said bluntly. Spain began sulking, although it was only a joke, really.

"I'm glad you like it Papà!" Chiara said, smiling brightly. Lovino smiled a bit at the twins, which made them look even happier.

"Thank you, you two," he said softly, and he looked at Spain. "You two, I guess." Spain grinned, absolutely mesmerized by the smile on Lovino's face as he ate.

"Alright!" he cheered. "We're going to dedicate this entire day to you! So we'll do anything you like in these next four days!" Lovino raised his eyebrows at him.

"Okay then…" he said. "Let's go to the park and play with the kids." Chiara and Dante grinned again.

"Yay!" they cheered.

"And later, we could have a small picnic snack!" Spain added. The twins nodded in excitement.

"We would go to the beach, but it's still too cold for that," Lovino said. He set aside the tray once he finished and downed the milk. Chiara and Dante nodded.

"Oh yeah!" Spain said. "Lovi, while I was waking you up, you said something! What was it?" Lovino stiffened.

"…It was nothing," he answered. Spain frowned for a fraction of a second, and then smiled again.

"Oh well!" he said, as if that answer hadn't bothered him. "Oh, were you the one talking to Feli last night? I heard him talk on the phone!"

"Yeah, he wanted me to come, but I was already with Adriana, Cosimo, Emilio, and Diana," Lovino answered. "Plus, all those guys don't really… like me…"

"Hmm, oh, and feliz cumpleaños!" Spain added. "Even though that's a day late."

"Thanks," Lovino said. He stood up, making Spain stand up with him, and stretched. Spain had to appreciate how he obviously had some muscle underneath his slim figure, but Lovino remained oblivious to his gaze.

"Let me take a shower and get changed, and then we can go," he said. He ushered the twins and Spain out the door and then headed to the shower in the bathroom connected to his room. Spain and the twins looked at each other in silence for a few seconds.

"Do you two need help in getting changed?" Spain asked after a bit. The twins nodded and Spain quickly headed to their room to help them get dressed.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Lovino was in the living room with the twins and Spain.

"So I guess we're going to the park," Lovino said. "But first, if we're going to have a picnic of sorts, we should make some sandwiches and grab some fruit."

"Sounds like a plan!" Spain agreed. The twins grinned.

"Thank you Papà!" they chimed.

"Antonio can make up for missing your birthday!" Dante cheered.

"I thought I said to call me Padre!" Spain whined. Dante and Chiara looked at him blankly.

"Papà over Antonio," they said in unison. Spain pouted, but they ignored him and settled for smiling brightly at Lovino, who chuckled.

"I'll go make a couple snacks," he said and headed to the kitchen. Spain followed after him as the twins settled for watching TV.

After a few moments of watching Lovino prepare a bunch of sandwiches, Spain suddenly hugged him from behind. Lovino stiffened a bit before relaxing just slightly.

"What do you want?" he asked, not bothering to look at him as he cut up some tomatoes.

"Can't I hug my boyfriend?" Spain responded, pouting.

"It's only been two months, in which we've only seen each other about three times," Lovino told him.

"Doesn't mean I can't be affectionate!" Spain grinned and kissed his cheek. Lovino's ears turned a bright red, but he pretended not to notice. Spain was obviously proud of himself for being able to get Lovino to react to him like that.

"Antonio, it'll be harder for me to make these sandwiches if you're holding onto me like this," Lovino muttered. Spain sighed dramatically and pulled away, but not before turning Lovino around and planting a passionate kiss on his lips. He laughed happily as he dodged a hit from an even brighter Lovino.

"You're a fucking idiot!" he shouted, fuming. Spain jokingly shushed him.

"Shh, the children are in the living room," he stage-whispered. "Don't want them to hear you~."

"They already know fucking swear words," Lovino retorted, not bothering to whisper.

"That's your fault!" Spain said. "Well, I'll let you continue cooking while I hang out with the twins!" He waved and then skipped over to the living room. Lovino took a few seconds to calm down, and then he sighed and turned back to the BLT he was making.

Lovino knew that Spain was a bit confused as to why he was acting so casual around a _human_ that he'd barely seen over the time they'd been together, and to be completely honest, he himself had no idea why he was being so casual around the man he'd fallen in love with decades, maybe even centuries ago. He knew that Spain was so comfortable with him because his subconscious knew that _this was the boy he had raised so long ago and he should be comfortable with him._ Lovino stayed cautious though. He knew that he was treading a dangerous line by dating Spain, and he had no idea what would happen if Spain found out about their past.

But Lovino wanted to be selfish. He wanted to be able to know what it was to be with Spain, and if that meant lying to him and never hearing his real – _former_ – name from his mouth ever again, he was okay with that. And, at least for a little while, the twins would know what it would be like to have two parents.

Sure, Spain would be gone a lot, but at least he'd still try. He was good with kids, and Lovino knew that all too well. In the back of his mind, he knew he was just using the kids as an excuse, but he didn't want to think that he would use his precious little demons for someone he'd tried to forget.

Lovino shook away all these traitorous thoughts as he finished with the sandwiches, strawberries, drinks, tomatoes, and anything else he might have wanted to bring. _And anyway,_ he thought, packing the food into a picnic basket, _if it came down to it, the twins are more important than anything. Even if it meant we'd have to run to Russia, I'd do anything for them. The tomato bastard is nothing compared to my kids._ With a satisfied nod of his head, he quickly headed to the living room, where Spain was watching a cartoon with the children.

"Alright you three, let's go," Lovino said. The twins looked at their Papà and nodded. They quickly stood up and bounded over to each stand on one side of Lovino. Spain went to head over to Lovino as well, but hissed as he felt something pierce into his foot. Sitting back down on the couch, he looked at his foot and noticed that a piece of glass had gotten stuck inside his skin.

"How did this happen?" he asked. Lovino looked at the carpet.

"Last night, Emilio accidentally broke my small glass table that was beside the couch," he answered. "There are still some small glass fragments that I haven't been able to clean up. I'll help you with the glass. Chiara, Dante, go get your shoes on. We'll join you in a moment." Chiara and Dante nodded and headed towards the front door where their shoes were.

Lovino knelt in front of Spain and began attempting to get the glass out of his foot. After a couple minutes and one trip to the bathroom for tweezers, he got the glass out and gave Spain a small bandage for the bleeding wound.

(Lovino briefly thought that this reminded him of Spain's pirate days when he was physically a child. He would sometimes wrap up his wounds with Belgium while Spain was passed out on his bed. Spain never knew that Romano helped)

"There," Lovino said, standing up. "Now this better not affect our trip." He went to find the twins waiting on the stairs for their father and his boyfriend.

"Papà, are we leaving now?" Dante asked quickly, obviously feeling impatient. Lovino nodded.

"Just wait a few more minutes so that Antonio can get ready too," he told them, sitting down beside them and pulling them both onto his lap. They grinned happily and waited for Spain to come and get his shoes on.

"Sorry I take so long!" Spain apologized as he finally headed over and got his shoes on.

"Yeah, you take fu- forever," Lovino said, trying not to swear where his children could so obviously hear, even though they'd already heard him swear many times before.

"Haha, sorry!" Spain laughed. "Well, let's go!" He pulled Lovino up and the twins stood up as well.

"Alright, alright, we're going," Lovino said. He led the kids outside and they began heading to his car with Spain close behind.

"Do you need me to drive?" Spain asked.

"No," Lovino answered as he buckled in the twins.

"Papà, Zio Mattie said you couldn't drive anymore," Chiara said. "Something about… umm… speeding and civi- cili- ummm… other people?"

"Dammit, you caught me," Lovino sighed. "Fine, you can drive." Spain grinned and went to the driver's seat.

"So why are you banned from driving?" he asked as Lovino got into the seat next to him.

"Let's just say that I'm really glad no one pressed charges," he answered. That didn't really answer Spain's question, but he figured that was the best answer he'd get, so he shrugged and began driving.

* * *

"Papà, Papà, push me on the swing!" Dante cheered as he and Chiara ran towards the swings once they arrived at the park.

"What?! No way!" Chiara protested as she tackled Dante. "Papà's pushing me on the swings!" They playfully wrestled in the grass near the playground.

"But Papà _always_ pushes you first!" Dante whined. "It's my turn!"

"It's because Papà loves me more!" Chiara claimed proudly.

"Chiara!" Lovino immediately cut in, breaking apart the twins. "You do not say something like that! I love you both equally! Now, Dante, I'll push you on the swings since you asked first. Chiara, you have to wait patiently, okay?" Chiara pouted as Dante grinned and cheered. They made their way to the swings and Lovino pushed Dante on the swings as Chiara pouted on the one beside her brother.

"Do you want me to push you?" Antonio asked, appearing in front of Chiara with a smile. She shook her head.

"No!" she refused, crossing her arms. "I'll wait for Papà like I was told to!" Antonio chuckled.

"But that might take a while," he told her. "Lovi, would that be alright with you?" He looked at Lovino, who couldn't look at him just in case he got hit by the swing.

"Yeah, and don't call me Lovi!" he said. Antonio just laughed and looked at Chiara.

"See? It's fine." Chiara was reluctant to have someone that wasn't her Papà push her on the swings, but she nodded. Antonio grinned and moved behind her. He began pushing her on the swings, beside Lovino and Dante.

* * *

"Are you two done with the swings now?" Lovino asked as Dante and Chiara jumped off the swings.

"Yep!" they chorused. "We want to play on the slides now!"

"Thank you Papà!" Dante said with a grin.

"Thank you Antonio," Chiara said. She then took Dante's hand and they both ran off towards the slides.

"Ahh, they have so much energy!" Spain exclaimed happily as he bounded off to sit on a bench.

"And you don't?" Lovino asked incredulously. He picked up their picnic basket and began setting everything down on the grass. Spain laughed.

"Yeah, you're right!" he said. Lovino just rolled his eyes. He soon finished setting up the picnic blanket and Spain went to join him on the grass.

"Do the twins get to go out often?" he asked as he opened the picnic basket and began eating a tomato. Lovino shook his head.

"Unfortunately, no," he answered. "I'm working and they have school and when they're home, I'm either working or busy outside of the house so I can't really find the time."

"Aww, that's sad," Spain said with a frown. "Shouldn't you at least try to find time for them?" Lovino glared at him.

"I do," he said. "I always try, but I just never can. Trust me, I really, really want to be there for them but I fucking _can't_."

"Right, sorry," Spain apologized. "Tomato?" He held out another tomato for Lovino, and he accepted. They talked for a bit more, while Spain was obviously trying not to upset Lovino again. At some point, Spain had ended up embarrassing Lovino, probably by complimenting him. Lovino, of course, blushed brightly and hit him over the head.

"You're an idiot!" he said. Spain just laughed and kissed his cheek, but this didn't bode well with some bystanders.

"Ugh! How disgusting!" a girl exclaimed. "Two boys? Together? Gross!" Lovino glared at the girl, who was probably just out of high school.

"What's so bad about it?" he asked.

"It's just unnatural!" the girl claimed. Beside her, her boyfriend was gently nudging her and trying to steer her away. He glanced at Spain, which led Lovino to glance at him too, and he was shocked by how quickly his aura became so dark. Lovino immediately went on to respond to the girl before Spain did anything drastic. He remembered how protective of him Spain used to be. (And it really fucking _hurt_ when he thinks that those were probably just platonic)

"How so?" he retorted. "You like boys too, don't you? What's so wrong that other boys could like other boys?" The girl was at a loss for a bit.

"Well, it's still completely unnatural! It's not right, it's not what God had in plan for us! It's not right at all and you-!"

"Papà, why is another girl yelling at you?" Dante asked, running over with Chiara.

"And you have children too!" the girl continued, reaching out to grab Dante and Chiara, only for her boyfriend to pull her back.

"That's enough," he said sternly, surprising everyone else and effectively stopped Spain from lashing out. "Leave these people alone. They did nothing wrong."

"But honey, can't you see how utterly _wrong_ it is?" the girl whined. The boy glared at her, and from the way she flinched, it was obvious that that wasn't something normal for him.

"It's not," he responded. "But I'm not your honey. I didn't know how judgmental you are when we started dating. I think we should break up."

"What?!" the girl screeched.

"Hey, I think you two should leave before your ex hurts my childrens' ears," Lovino said, gently hugging Chiara and Dante. The boy nodded.

"Yeah, I'm sorry for her," he said. "Just continue with your picnic." He dragged the girl away as she threw a large tantrum about how "he couldn't break up with her" and "it's all those damn faggots' faults!" Lovino just ignored her in favor of the twins and calming down Spain.

"Papà, what was she yelling at you?" Chiara asked. Neither she nor Dante understood how two people of the same gender being in love was any different than two people of different genders being in love.

"She just doesn't like the idea of two men being together," Lovino explained softly.

"Why?" the twins asked.

"I don't know, you two, let's just eat now, okay?" he responded. The twins nodded and sat down on either side of their father.

"Are you really okay with all this?" Spain asked. Lovino shrugged.

"That's not the worst I've gotten," he answered simply.

(Centuries ago, Lovino, as a younger Romano, had been found with his current lover, who was a human boy that he had truly loved at some point. Well, he loved him enough to stay with him for a little over a year. He had managed to keep him a secret, but the Church had somehow found about them. They took them and they had tortured them a little before drowning them. Romano had woken up hours later buried underneath the ground beside his dead lover. He got out of the ground, got his revenge, and mourned the loss of the boy who had died too young. He moved on, eventually, because he was human and at the time, Lovino was Romano. It did no good to cry over a human. In fact, that was why he never fell in love again, until he realized his feelings for Spain)

Throughout the rest of the picnic, they did not bring up the incident and instead just continued with their day. Spain joked around, but got hit by Lovino while the twins giggled. Spain tried to do something sweet and lovey-dovey, but Lovino had just plucked the strawberry out of his hand and ate it rather than have it fed to him.

* * *

Afterwards, they packed up and headed back to Lovino's house, where they dropped off the picnic things. Lovino tried insisting that there wasn't really anything else for them to do, but Spain would have none of it and dragged him and the twins out once again. This time, they went to a bookstore, since Lovino loved books.

Lovino only resisted for a second before taking the kids and wandering around in the bookstore, trying to find the perfect books. Even at their age, the twins liked books due to their father's influence, so they were completely okay with following their father around and stopping every once in a while in order to try and read a book a level above their reading level.

"You three really love reading," Spain commented, trying to keep up with his boyfriend.

"You don't?" Lovino asked, flipping through the pages of a romance novel before muttering about how it was too cliché.

"I don't understand how you can read so many words in one sitting," Spain said. "It must be so hard~!"

"Not really," Lovino replied, heading off to the sci-fi section of the library, the twins trailing close behind.

"Papà, can we read this and sit over there?" Chiara asked as Dante pointed to a table nearby. "Antonio can watch over us while you find more books!" Lovino nodded.

"Alright," he agreed. "Antonio, you better watch them!" Spain nodded and laughed, following the twins over to the table and sitting down beside them. He watched as the twins read out loud together and tried reading the children's book by themselves. Occasionally, they asked Spain to translate something for them, to which he happily obliged.

Lovino returned to the twins and Spain a half hour later, to which the twins had just finished up with their third book. Spain noticed how many books he had and stood up to help him with them.

"Lovi, you really shouldn't buy this many books," he told him. "Do you really need so many?" Lovino scoffed.

"You can never have too many books," he retorted. Two workers walked past them at that moment, and one stared as Lovino handed half his pile of books to Spain while the other grinned.

"Hey Vargas!" the worker greeted. "Buying more books huh?" Lovino nodded.

"Yeah, who's the girl?" he asked. The worker looked at his companion.

"She's new," he explained. "This is Charlie. She's American." The wide-eyed girl blushed at the sudden attention and waved.

"Hi…" she said. Lovino smiled charmingly.

"Ciao," he greeted. "Do you guys wanna help me with this?"

"Sure," the male worker said. "Come on Charlie, let me show you how to do this." He led the girl behind the counter and helped Lovino with his pile of books, along with the three books the twins decided to buy for themselves.

"Thanks," Lovino said. "Nice to meet you Charlie." He flashed her another smile.

"Also she's lesbian," the worker said. Charlie glared at him, but to her surprise, Lovino just laughed.

"Oh, sorry about that then," he said. "Antonio over here is my boyfriend, see? But I can't help myself around pretty girls."

"Oh, it's alright," Charlie said. "Nice to meet you too."

"Loviii~, I was actually getting jealous there!" Spain whined.

"Whatever," Lovino told him. "I can't help it. If I see a pretty girl, I have to at least be polite towards her."

"Papà does that a lot," Dante explained as Chiara grabbed their books.

"So get used to it," Lovino added, smirking. "See you guys later." He bid goodbye to the two bookstore employees and left. He dumped all the books in the trunk of his car before buckling the twins in and then getting into the passenger seat of the car.

"So you go there a lot?" Spain asked.

"Of course," Lovino answered. "Because books are amazing! I would say awesome, but then I'd sound like that beer bastard." His eyes narrowed at the thought of the albino dating his best friend. Spain laughed.

"You really don't like Gilbert, do you?" he asked.

"I'd have killed him already if Matthew wasn't dating him…" Lovino muttered. Spain blinked.

"Matthew…?" he asked.

"Alfred's twin," Lovino said with a slight glare in his direction. "The one with the polar bear. For fucks sakes, he's dating Gilbert!" Spain's eyes widened in realization and he laughed nervously.

"Oh yeah, him!" he said. "Well, where to now?"

"There's nowhere else to fucking go now," Lovino said. "We could try the movies though. For the twins, because we already went last month." Spain nodded.

"Okay!" he agreed and began driving to the movie theater.

* * *

After the movie, it was about six o'clock in the evening, so Spain took them out for dinner. He ended up forgetting that he didn't have any movie, so Lovino ended up paying for them. Spain wouldn't stop apologizing on the way back to Lovino's house. The twins laughed as Lovino told Spain to shut up and he didn't mind.

"So where are you staying?" Lovino asked as the twins ran outside the house. He stayed standing in the doorway in front of Spain, who laughed nervously at his question.

"Well, you see…" he began, making Lovino raise an eyebrow at him. "I sort of had Gilbert drop me off here because I forgot to book a hotel! The last two nights, I stayed with Feli, so I was wondering if I could stay here until I have to leave?" Lovino sighed and slapped his palm to his forehead.

"God, you're an idiot," he muttered. "Fine. I guess that's why you're luggage is here." Spain grinned and tackled Lovino into a hug.

"Gracìas Lovi!" he thanked and made his way past Lovino into the house. Lovino sighed again and walked in after him.

"Chiara, Dante, it's 8:30, start getting ready for bed," he told the twins, who were about to turn on the tv.

"Aww, but Papà!" they whined.

"No buts, start getting dressed and brush your teeth," he ordered. The twins pouted, but headed upstairs to get ready. Lovino turned to Spain.

"Okay, you can sleep in the guest room," he told him.

"No, I wanna sleep with you!" Spain argued.

"What?!" Lovino exclaimed. "Why?"

"Because Lovi is warm!" Spain said, smiling. "Besides, we are together right? So there shouldn't be a problem!" Lovino frowned, but knowing how stubborn the man was, he knew he couldn't really argue.

"Fine," he muttered. Spain beamed and tackled him in a hug again.

"Hooray!" he cheered, just before Lovino pushed him off and headed up the stairs to get ready for bed.

* * *

Later, Spain watched from the doorway as Lovino read to the twins before they went had to try sleeping.

"…The end," Lovino finished, closing the book and placing it beside the twins on their bedside table. "Now you two should go to sleep."

"Papà, how about a lullaby?" Chiara asked. Spain was interested in this. He didn't know his little Italian sang. Lovino glanced back at Spain, but then looked at the twins and nodded.

"Of course," he said and began singing softly. Spain was instantly mesmerized by his smooth, tenor voice. He hadn't expected it, but he loved his voice. Unknowingly, feelings stronger than simple infatuation with the young Italian began to resurface from long, long ago, but Spain didn't notice.

By the time Lovino finished with the lullaby, the twins had been lulled to sleep. Lovino smiled gently and kissed their foreheads.

"Buonanotte," he murmured before joining Spain outside of the room and quietly shutting their door. Spain gave him a small smile.

"You have a wonderful voice," he complimented. Lovino blushed and muttered something too quiet for Spain to hear. "What was that?" Spain asked.

"Thanks," Lovino said, a bit louder. Spain didn't think that's what he had really said, but he accepted it and headed to Lovino's bedroom with him.

He climbed into bed with him and wrapped his arms around him, burying his face in the crook of his neck. He felt Lovino stiffen for a second before relaxing.

"What are you doing?" he heard Lovino ask quietly.

"Hugging you," he mumbled into his shoulder. "Accept it." Lovino sighed for possibly the tenth time that night. He was obviously too tired to argue.

"Whatever," he said, closing his eyes and leaning against Spain, who smiled.

"Buenas noches," he said, pressing a soft kiss to his neck. Lovino just hummed a bit in response, already falling asleep. Spain stayed up for a bit longer, just listening as Lovino's breathing slowed and deepened. After a while of musing about how he really did care about this human, more so then he probably should, he closed his eyes and began drifting off, blissfully unaware that things were a lot more complicated in his new relationship than he was aware of.


	18. Chapter 17: Four Days, A Month - April

_**What is this? Is it- *GASP* AN UPDATE?**_

_**Why yes it is. Apologies for taking so long in updating this, but I had writer's block and then I procrastinated for a bit. Since my last update, quite a lot of stuff happened: I had a boyfriend, broke up with him, went into therapy, discovered I have a bunch of allergies and asthma, and I am now in high school. I am in the Gay Straight Alliance in school and Video Production Club. My friends ship me with my internet friend and they also ship my OC Philippines with America. Also I am Nico di Angelo trash, MIKAYUU IS LIFE, don't talk to me about , Homestuck belongs in the fucking trash, SOCKATHAN, wow I need more video games, emo trinity and other pop punk bands, making paper stars is surprisingly therapeutic, and that magical boys anime jfc.**_

_**Anyway enough about me. THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN THIS CHAPTER:**_

_**~Belated birthday update for the twins**_

_**~Rushing near the end because my parents were about to yell at me to go to sleep soon**_

_**~fluff because wow it's been a while since fluff**_

_**~17 PAGES OF THIS BE HAPPY I USUALLY DON'T WRITE THAT MUCH**_

_**~Most likely a lot of cultural inaccuracies I AM SO SORRY FOR MY AMERICANISM I BLAME SCHOOL (apparently Americanism is a word in my computer)**_

_**Honestly I'm thinking of rewriting this fic. I'll keep most things the same, but I just have to change a few minor details, like the twins' personalities and Lovino's life and the like. My writing has gotten better lately, so yeah.**_

_**My incentive for writing this chapter: the boy I talked to in my Science class telling me he was waiting for an update while I was complaining to my friend about how I have to write this chapter but mehh.**_

**_Please review and enjoy~! Who knows what could be in the next chapter..._**

Chapter 17

"What should I do for the twins' birthday?" Lovino asked, tapping his pen against the desk. He was talking to Spain on the phone. After Spain left the month before, thoroughly satisfied with being able to compensate for Lovino's birthday, Lovino immediately set to work with planning for Chiara and Dante's birthday, but so far, he could come up with nothing.

"Isn't their birthday next week?" Spain asked.

"Yes!" Lovino exclaimed. "That's not nearly enough time!" Spain laughed. His lover was so cute when it came to his children.

"Calm down, amor," he said. "Do they have many friends? Maybe they can have a birthday party." Lovino paused and gently bit on the back of his pen.

"I don't think they do…" he answered. "I haven't heard about any of their friends yet…"

"Well, what did you do for their previous birthdays?" Spain asked.

"Hmmm…" Lovino hummed thoughtfully as he tried to think back, which wasn't that hard considering he'd mostly blocked out his unimportant memories as a nation in favor of remembering his time with the twins. "On their first birthday, Matt, Alfred, and Feli came over to celebrate with me. On their second birthday, we spent it alone at home. On their third, we went to Los Angeles in America. On their fourth, we went to Quebec. And then their last birthday was spent in Rome." On the other line, Spain chuckled quietly.

"You give them a lot of glamour, I'm guessing," he said.

"Of course!" Lovino huffed. "I only give the best for my kids!"

"How about you come around to my place this time?" Spain asked, smiling brightly. "It'll be different, and we can see each other again~!" Lovino hummed.

"Maybe…" he decided. He was running a bit low on money, but he supposed his brother would be happy to lend him some. He'd pay him back… or not because Veneziano was a nation and he could afford losing some money to pay for a trip to Spain.

"Hurray!" Spain cheered. "I have to get back to work, but tell me if you're coming and I can prepare and give you guys a room in my house!" Lovino almost flinched.

"A-alright," he said, trying not to sound fazed. "I'll call you when I make my decision. Bye."

"Adiòs!" Spain said cheerfully, and then Lovino hung up.

He lightly tossed his phone onto his desk and sighed, leaning back in his chair. _Spain's house…_ he thought. He hadn't been there in years, but he could still remember it clearly. He'd lived with him for a long time, after all, and even after he'd declared independence, he'd visited often. After the twins were born, of course, Lovino hadn't thought about going back even once. He wondered what happened to the pictures of him that were scattered around the house. He still remembered where most of them were. He'd check if he actually decided to go.

Lovino stopped his train of thought before it could go too far and started working. Just because it was the twins' birthday didn't mean he could stop working.

* * *

It was at dinner that Lovino spoke to the twins about Spain.

"Chiara, Dante, what do you think of Spain?" he asked in the middle of eating.

"Spain is pretty!" Dante exclaimed. Chiara nodded in agreement.

"Toni is there too, right?" she asked. "I like him…"

"Yes, well, how would you feel about going there for your birthday?" Lovino asked. The twins grinned widely and nodded.

"Spain!" they cheered.

"Will we be playing with Toni again?" Dante asked excitedly. Lovino nodded, smiling a bit at their excitement.

"Of course," he answered. "He's the one who proposed this." The twins cheered again and Lovino laughed softly. He supposed it wouldn't be too bad, if they were this excited for it. At least… he hoped.

* * *

Later that night, once he put the twins to bed, he called Spain, hoping that he was still awake. Even though it was only nine, he didn't know exactly know his schedule for sleep. He remembered he was like a child in the aspect that he hated sleep, so he assumed he was awake.

"Hola Lovi!" Spain greeted happily. "Did you come to a decision?" Lovino nodded, but then remembered that he couldn't see him.

"Yeah, we'll go to Spain," he told him. He heard Spain cheering on the other end before he spoke again.

"Yay! I can't wait!" he chirped. "I'll get rooms ready for you three!"

"Okay, see you then," Lovino said.

"Adiòs!" Spain said cheerfully before hanging up. Lovino placed his phone down and stretched a bit in his seat. He had some more things to finish before going to bed.

* * *

"Spain! Spain! Hurray for Spain!" the twins cheered as they got off the plane, closely followed by their father, who was hauling his luggage.

"Chiara, Dante, we're going this way," Lovino called to them. The twins turned and went to follow their father, a small skip in their steps.

"Papà, Antonio is picking us up right?" Dante asked excitedly. Lovino nodded.

"Yes, he is," he answered. "Let's go find the gate we're supposed to be picked up at." The twins nodded and followed Lovino to the gate.

"LOVI~!" Lovino was suddenly tackled in a hug as soon as he and the twins walking through the door. He stumbled and almost fell, but luckily he didn't.

"Wha- Antonio?" he asked, and looked at the person who had him in a tight hold.

"Yep!" Spain pulled away with a grin. "It's been too long! I missed you so much!" Lovino rolled his eyes and quickly pushed him away.

"Yeah, yeah, I got that, now get off of me!" he huffed. Spain simply continued to look at him with that dopey grin of his before looking at the twins and kneeling beside them.

"Hola you two!" he greeted happily. They smiled and waved back at him.

"Ciao," they chimed happily.

"Ready to go?" Spain asked. The twins nodded and he led them to his car while Lovino carried their bags. Lovino sighed as he noticed that, instead of an expensive sports car he knew he had and could afford, he had decided to bring a normal truck. Even human, he still had a thing for looking his best.

Lovino loaded the bags into the back of the truck and then went to buckle the twins in.

"I see you got some car seats for them," he commented as he buckled the twins in. Spain nodded.

"Well, they kind of need them," he explained. "They are only six." Lovino nodded. Spain opened the passenger's door for him and Lovino climbed into his seat.

"You know you don't have to do that," Lovino sighed. Spain just smiled and headed to the driver's seat.

"I want to," he responded simply and then started driving off to his house.

* * *

"Wooooooooow," the twins gasped as they noticed Antonio's house coming into view. For someone with such an old truck, Antonio sure did live luxuriously. Chiara and Dante exchanged excited looks and looked at their father. They couldn't see his expression from where they sat, but they assumed that he was in awe as well. Antonio certainly didn't seem like the type to live in such a nice house.

Antonio stopped outside his gate until it opened up for him once he said a few words into an intercom. The twins looked out the window excitedly as they saw a large yard and a pond pass by. There were a few statues around the lawn, but they didn't really understand what they meant.

The car slowed to a stop in the garage and the twins watched as Antonio quickly got out of the car to open the door for Lovino, who rolled his eyes in return and got out of the truck.

"You really didn't need to do that," he stated as he opened the doors for the twins. He unbuckled them and helped them hop out of the car. He really didn't need to do that anymore, but the twins didn't mind. It meant less work for them and a few more seconds of Lovino's time. As always, Antonio just grinned cheekily.

"I know!" he said cheerfully and opened the trunk of his car. The twins took their bags with one hand before taking their father's hands with the other. Chiara took Lovino's hand on one side while Dante took his other hand on the opposite side. Seeing as Lovino's arms were occupied, Antonio graciously took his bags for him before heading inside. They tried not to get sidetracked by all the pretty, shiny cars that were also in the garage. Lovino helped by tugging on their hands a bit before Antonio could leave them behind.

"Didn't expect you to be rich," Lovino commented. Antonio looked at him and nodded happily, smiling as he always did.

"Well, it doesn't really matter," he told him. "I would have been fine with a smaller house and less material possessions, but my... parents left this house to me, so it was only right to keep it! Plus this house has been in my family for generations!" Chiara didn't miss the pause in his sentence, and neither did Dante. Unlike Chiara, he said what was on his mind, and he was rather curious now.

"Why did you pause in the middle of your sentence?" Dante asked rather rudely. Lovino looked at him with wide eyes.

"Dante!" he said with a bit of a scolding tone in his voice. He looked at Antonio apologetically. Dante really was his son, it seemed, although he didn't stay quiet at the right times.

"Sorry Papà, but I'm curious," Dante whined, pouting a bit. Antonio simply laughed him off. His laugh didn't really sound right, but the twins didn't pay much attention to that as it wasn't as obvious as the pause in his sentence.

"Ah, it's nothing," Antonio said nonchalantly. "Sometimes I get a bit upset when I think about my parents. They died just after I left for college, so it's a bit of a touchy subject."

"What does it mean when a subject is 'touchy'?" Chiara asked, far more interested in learning about more phrases she could use.

"Hmm, do you know what 'sensitive' means?" Antonio asked, humming thoughtfully as he tried to think of how to explain it. Chiara shook her head, and Antonio's face scrunched up a bit as he tried to think some more. Lovino sighed.

"A touchy subject is when the subject can have a bad effect on someone," he explained, since Antonio would obviously not be able to answer. "Like, you can mention something and it could make someone sad or angry." A look of realization crossed his daughter's face.

"Oh!" she exclaimed and looked at Antonio. "I'm sorry that Dante asked!" Dante puffed out his cheeks, somehow feeling like things were his fault. "Dante, apologize," Chiara added. Dante sighed and looked at Antonio.

"Sorry…" he muttered, gently kicking his feet. Antonio laughed and rubbed his head.

"Don't worry about it!" he assured him. "You didn't know!" Dante looked up at him and smiled, quickly recovering from his embarrassment and shame.

"So where are we staying?" Lovino asked, quickly changing the subject. His eyes seemed to glance around, as if he were expecting something or someone. Antonio didn't seem to notice.

"Ah! I'll show you!" he declared and started marching to the stairs. Lovino and his kids followed him up the stairs.

The halls were lined with many beautiful paintings and photos. Every once in a while, the twins stopped to admire the pictures. Lovino looked around as well, although unlike the twins, who were looking around with wide eyes and excited energy, he looked rather uncomfortable and out of place.

"Papà, are you okay?" Chiara asked softly as she saw how her father didn't look well. Lovino looked at her and nodded, managing a smile for his little girl.

"Sì, I'm fine, but thank you," he answered and gently rubbed the top of her head. Chiara nodded slowly as Dante easily accepted the answer, but not before hugging him and telling him that he loved him. Lovino laughed and responded with his own soft declaration of love. Antonio cooed from a little ways away and Lovino sent him a small glare.

"Anyway, if you're done looking around, this is your room!" he told them, opening the door for them. "I don't think I've ever used this room before. If the twins want a separate room for themselves, then I can do that too!" Chiara and Dante shook their heads and grinned at each other before running into the room and hopping on the bed happily.

The room was slightly larger than their own room and there was a singular bed with fancy red bed sheets covering it. There was an easel in the corner of the room and a small table beside the bed. There was a dressed across from the bed and a desk on one side of the room. There was little on the desk, only a mirror and a pen. When the twins tried to open the drawers, they were all locked. A dusty guitar sat beside the desk.

In their awe, the twins didn't notice that Lovino had yet to move from his spot in the doorway. Antonio, however, did.

"Chiara, Dante, how about you continue looking around while I talk to your Papà?" he suggested.

"Okay!" the twins agreed happily, not looking over and so not noticing the look on Lovino's face. Antonio smiled and shut the door.

"Where do ya think the key is?" Dante asked, attempting to open the drawers in the desk once again. Chiara shrugged.

"I dunno," she answered. "Probably somewhere reeeeaaalllly private. Like Antonio's room."

"Then let's go there!" Dante said eagerly. Chiara frowned and hit him over the head.

"No!" she immediately said.

"Why not?" Dante whined.

"Papà says not to go through other people's, uhh… stuff," Chiara reminded him.

"You mean other people's shit?" Dante asked, remembering how their father had worded it years ago. Chiara grimaced a bit and attempted a small glare at her twin brother.

"Don't swear," she chastised. Dante rolled his eyes a bit and decided to look at the closet. He tugged the doors open and saw an assortment of clothes already in there.

"Hey, look, there are clothes in here!" he exclaimed. Chiara looked inside and gasped.

"Oo, they're really pretty and old timey," she commented and gently grasped one outfit. She reached on her toes to take the hanger down and look at it. It was a brown dress, looking fit for a maid from the stories Lovino would tell her and Dante, about history from long ago.

"It's falling apart…" Dante stated. Chiara nodded and coughed, some dust flying off the dress.

"I like this," she declared. "Maybe I can ask Papà and Toni if I can keep it."

"Keep what?" Lovino entered the room again and the twins jumped, turning to him. They coughed some more as more dust flew off the dress. Lovino stared at the dress that Chiara held and then switched his gaze to her. From behind him, Antonio's eyes brightened as he noticed the dress before recoiling and holding his head.

"Oww…" he moaned. Lovino turned to him and raised an eyebrow.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I just have a headache," Antonio answered and waved him off. He smiled at Chiara.

"Can I keep this?" Chiara asked, holding up the dress. Antonio nodded.

"Sure, why not?" he replied. "I think that used to belong to my friend, Emma. I guess I never cleaned out that closet. I'll be sure to do so eventually! For now, how about I make us some dinner?" The twins smiled happily.

"Okay!" they agreed. Chiara squealed happily as she held the dress to her chest, paying no mind to how old and worn it was. Lovino bit his lip to refrain from saying anything and simply nodded to Antonio.

"You three should start to unpack," Antonio told them. "I'll come get you for dinner!" He pressed a quick kiss to Lovino's lips (making said Italian blush and the twins to cover their eyes) before heading downstairs.

"Thank you Antonio!" Chiara called.

"You're welcome!"

* * *

Lovino laid on the familiar bed from hundreds of years ago. The twins had fallen asleep an hour ago, but Lovino couldn't. Dinner had gone well. He and Spain bantered and the twins laughed or declared their flirting to be gross. Spain tried his best to make Lovino blush and the twins laugh, and he succeeded. His efforts put his issues in the back of his mind for the time being.

But then he was back in the room and the twins fell asleep and everything came rushing back.

This was the room he used whenever he spent time in Spain's house as a nation.

He recognized everything, despite how there was little in the room, unlike how it would be when he was there. Some of his old clothes as Spain's henchman were still in the closet, and Chiara was keeping his old dress. He didn't know that he had never thrown those away.

The easel was his since he still liked to paint to forget sometimes, even though he felt cripplingly inferior to his brother in every aspect. He wondered where his paintings had gone. He hadn't seen them on the wall, like they had been the last time he had been to Spain's house.

The guitar was also his, given to him as a present from Spain. He had started learning guitar, and he was still decent at it. He preferred the viola though, and he still played that when he had time. The twins enjoyed it.

And then there was the desk…

That had been his desk, where he would work or do anything really. He had the keys to the drawers still, but he could never actually open it again. Some old documents were in the drawers, and some things he had drawn and written while he was in his worse state of mind. He had seen the twins trying to open it, and if they had somehow managed to open it, they could never be allowed to look at the contents of the drawers. The things he had written were not for the eyes of children, especially his own.

When he saw the room, he was tempted to ask Spain if they could use a different room, but that would seem suspicious, so he refrained from doing so. Unfortunately, Spain had seen his uneasiness and had interrogated him on it while the twins explored the world.

"_Lovi?" Spain had said once he shut the door. Lovino looked at him blankly._

"_Yeah?" he asked._

"_Are you okay?" Spain asked worriedly, reaching over to place a hand on his forehead. He flinched away from his touch._

"_Yeah, I'm fine," Lovino replied, trying to hide the nervousness in his voice. Spain frowned. It didn't look right on his friendly face. Lovino remembered seeing that frown of disapproval before, and it had been pointed at him in those rare moments that he had really set Spain off. He never liked seeing it._

"_I don't believe you," he told him bluntly. Lovino frowned right back at him._

"_I'm telling you, I'm fine," he insisted._

"_You didn't move from the doorway when you saw the room," Spain began. "Don't tell me you were just watching the twins. If you were, you would have that smile on your face that you always get when you watch them. You were practically frozen." Lovino's hands twitched at his sides as he tried not to clench his fists. Instead, he crossed his arms over his chest. _He still knows me too well… _he thought._

"_It's nothing," Lovino told him, trying to get out of this as soon as possible. "I am fine. Can I just go in the room again?"_

"_Lovi-" Spain tried, but Lovino cut him off with a shake of his head._

"_No, seriously, I'm fine," he interrupted. "I'm going to go join the twins. Please just stop asking." He turned before Spain could get any other words in and opened the door in time to hear Chiara's question. Luckily, he managed to stop himself from freezing up again as he saw the familiar dress from so long ago._

Keeping this secret was really getting a lot harder. Lovino knew he probably should break it off with Spain before he got in too deep and everything went to shit, but… he didn't really want to. This was a chance he never got as a nation. He was able to feel loved by the man he always wanted to be loved by. Even if it probably wasn't actually love, it was still something, and he was happy with that something as long as it meant he could still have Spain.

Lovino shut his eyes and tried to ward off the bad memories. Sleep would help, he was sure. He wouldn't be consciously thinking then.

He couldn't sleep for another two hours.

* * *

Lovino groaned as the twins shook him awake and pulled a pillow over his head.

"Papà~!" they sang, continuing to shake him a bit roughly. "Wake up!"

"Toni is making breakfast!" Dante exclaimed, trying to get Lovino up with the idea of food.

"That's nice," Lovino muttered, his voice muffled by the pillow.

"Papà!" Chiara groaned and started jumping on the bed. "Wake up! We have things to do today." From the doorway, Spain laughed.

"Chiara, Dante, why don't you let your Papà sleep and you two can help me cook?" he suggested. The twins brightened and let Lovino go so they could go downstairs.

"Yay!" they cheered. Spain grinned and ushered them downstairs.

"Get some rest, Lovi!" he called. "I'll call you down when breakfast is ready!" He shut the door behind him as he walked out.

Lovino sighed as he heard the twins' chattering fade along with their footsteps. Silence settled over him and he turned, looking up at the ceiling. He couldn't really sleep anymore, as the twins had managed to fully wake him up before then. He relished in the silence though. It was something he couldn't really enjoy much.

After a few short minutes of doing nothing, Lovino pulled himself out of bed and stretched. He grabbed some clothes and began to get changed. He remembered what the weather in this part of Spain was like around April, so he had packed for it. Lovino really preferred the warm weather, but this would be good enough he supposed.

Spain knocked on the door as Lovino finished changing, and he opened the door.

"Breakfast done?" Lovino asked. Spain nodded.

"Yup!" he answered cheerfully, as always. "The kids are waiting at the table." Lovino nodded and stepped out of the room. Before he could move past Spain, lips were pressed to his and he was backed against the closed door. His eyes slipped shut and he kissed back, getting distracted almost instantaneously.

He pulled away as he realized what was going on and he glared at Spain, who just grinned cheekily at him.

"Well, we can't keep the twins waiting~!" Spain sang and grabbed Lovino's hand. He headed downstairs with him, Lovino stumbling a bit before catching up with his fast pace.

"You're an idiot," he grumbled.

"So what are we doing today?" Dante asked excitedly as Lovino and Spain started washing the dishes.

"I was thinking I could give you a tour around Madrid, and then we could go out to eat, and then we could go to the zoo!" Spain explained cheerfully, smiling happily. "How long are you staying here?"

"Three nights, four days," Lovino responded. "We'll be heading home in two days, around noon."

"I'll figure out what we can do tomorrow then!" Spain declared. Lovino shrugged and accepted that answer. He finished washing his plate and dried off his hands before turning to the twins.

"Get changed you two," he said. "I don't think you'll need my help." The twins nodded and started heading upstairs once they gave Lovino and Spain a quick hug.

"Your kids are so cute~," Spain cooed. Lovino rolled his eyes, but he managed a small smile.

"So I've heard," he said.

* * *

Lovino, Spain, Chiara, and Dante were soon out the door and heading to a museum.

"Where are we going?" Chiara asked.

"_Museo Nacional del Prado_," Spain answered, grinning. "Also known as the National Museum for Painting and Sculpture. It's a really amazing place. I think you'll like it."

"Papà's never taken us to a museum before!" Chiara said excitedly. "This will be fun!"

"It's for art?" Dante asked. "Yay! I like art! My teacher says I'm a natural!" He grinned proudly and Lovino chuckled.

"Kind of like me," he said.

"Lovi, you draw?" Spain asked, a bit shocked at the revelation. He hadn't really seen him as the type to do so.

"I paint, sometimes," Lovino explained. "I don't do it often."

"Papà is really good at it!" Chiara praised happily. Lovino shook his head.

"I'll have to see one of your paintings some day!" Spain decided. Lovino shrugged.

"Maybe."

* * *

"Toni can just walk in to the museum whenever he wants?" Dante gasped. "I want to be able to do that!" Lovino laughed a bit and ushered them into the museum after Spain before they got hopelessly lost. He didn't mention that he used to be able to do so as well.

"I guess he has special privileges," he said. "Remember, don't touch anything. Especially you, Dante." Dante pouted while Chiara nodded, always the one to listen to her father.

"Come on, keep up!" Spain called and he began chattering on about the history of the museum and some of the paintings. Lovino tuned him out while the twins listened with rapt attention. However, as they were still children, their attention would stray to the beautiful paintings and sculptures that were placed everywhere along the building.

"Papà, why do the people look so weird in all these?" Dante asked as Spain finally quieted down about history.

"Back in the day, these would look amazing and very intricate," Lovino explained. "They didn't have cameras, so these were the best they could do, and they are made by the best of the best. They don't look that weird, do they?" The twins shrugged. They looked kind of weird to them.

"I don't get the point of standing up for so long just for a painting…" Dante said questioningly. Lovino shrugged. He was always too lazy to do so. Standing up for so long for one painting? Yeah, no thanks.

"I don't really understand it either," he agreed.

"They're all really pretty though…" Chiara murmured, looking at a beautiful painting hanging on the walls.

"They are," Spain agreed. "I love coming here! History is so fascinating, isn't it?" Chiara and Dante nodded.

"I would have never pegged you for a history nerd," Lovino stated, a bit amused. Spain turned to him with a grin.

"I just don't like wars," he told him. "But this! The history of art and evolution! Isn't it wonderful?" Lovino had to agree. Wars were horrible, but when the nations weren't arguing and fighting, they would be evolving as technology grew. Those were truly beautiful moments in time.

"I don't get it, but we agree too!" Dante declared. Spain laughed and rubbed his head.

"Sì, sì, now how about we check out some more sculptures?" he suggested. "I can give you more lessons and soon enough, you'll have enough information that will make your head explode!" Dante and Chiara gasped and held their heads.

"I don't want my head to explode!" Chiara exclaimed.

"It was a joke, dear," Lovino explained to her calmly, knowing how gullible she and Dante could be. "Your head won't really explode." Chiara and Dante let out the breath they were holding and lowered their hands.

"Oh, good," Dante sighed in relief. "Well, let's go then!" They quickly recovered and allowed Spain to show them around the museum some more, happily listening to him talk so enthusiastically about the art littering the halls.

* * *

They spent about three hours in the museum before the twins decided they wanted to leave, so Spain drove them all to a park before lunch.

"_Buen Retiro Park_!" Spain began. "It is really beautiful! I love the gardens! And you are just in time to see flowers bloom in the _Rosaleda Gardens_!" He led them to that specific garden and grinned as he saw the awed looks on their faces.

"Pretty…" the twins murmured, taking the time to look at some nearby roses.

"It is really beautiful," Lovino agreed. Spain smiled and began leading them through the garden. They walked through the pathways as the twins stared in awe at the different assortments of roses. It wasn't a very big garden, but they spent quite some time looking at the roses.

As they walked around, Spain told them where each rose was native and any history he could about them. Lovino couldn't help but think of the French bastard when he looked at red roses, so he decided to look at the pretty white roses instead. Chiara was rather fascinated with them. Dante liked the yellow ones.

"The roses are so pretty!" Chiara exclaimed as they left after walking around the whole garden. "Papà, can we buy some pretty roses and keep some at home?" Lovino looked at her and smiled.

"Sure, when we get home," he agreed. "I suppose it would be nice to have some."

"I want red ones!" Chiara declared.

"And yellow ones!" Dante added. Lovino's smile faltered a bit, but he kept it up for the twins and nodded. France had ruined red roses for him, but he would deal with them if it made his children happy.

"Is anyone hungry?" Spain asked. "There's a nice café we can eat at!" As if on cue, the twins' stomachs growled and they smiled sheepishly.

"Let's eat!" they agreed. Spain smiled and began leading them to the café.

* * *

"I like this café, but I've been saying that about everywhere we've been today," Spain said as he entered the café and giggled a bit. "It does have a nice, warm atmosphere though! So hopefully you like it." A waitress approached them and led them to their seats.

"Is there anything you four would like to drink to start off with?" the waitress asked. Lovino was surprised she wasn't flirting with Spain. Women… tended to do that. It got seriously irritating.

"I'll just have some water, thanks," Lovino said. Spain and the kids went with water as well and the waitress nodded and left. Lovino looked down at the menu. He wasn't really in the mood for much, so he decided to just eat a salad.

"I think I'll have paella!" Spain decided.

"I'll just get a salad," Lovino said with a shrug. "Chiara, Dante, what about you?"

"Uhmm…" Chiara and Dante looked at each other and then looked at Lovino. "We'll share with Toni!" They really had no idea what they wanted to get.

"Are you sure?" Lovino raised an eyebrow. They nodded.

"Sì," they responded. Lovino shrugged.

"Alright, if you're sure."

"Oh! Do you two want to get a cake afterwards?" Spain asked, grinning happily at them. "It is your birthday!" The twins grinned back at him and nodded excitedly.

"Yes please!" they answered eagerly. Spain laughed and nodded.

The twins chattered happily with Spain as Lovino stayed quiet and gave his input every once in a while. It wasn't that he felt left out; he just had nothing to say. Spain tried to include him, but Lovino was really unsure of what to say.

When the waitress returned, Spain ordered for the four of them. Lovino sighed and said that that wasn't necessary, as he always said. Spain responded with his usual response and smile.

Lunch went by without a hitch and then the twins got their cake pieces. The waitress and some others sang a short happy birthday song for the twins. Once they left, Antonio and Lovino sang the traditional happy birthday song for them.

"_Cumpleaños feliz_

_Cumpleaños feliz_

_Te deseamos Chiara y Dante_

_Cumpleaños feliz_" they sang as Chiara and Dante giggled happily. They blew out the candles that had been put in their (respectively) chocolate and strawberry cakes and they began eating. Lovino didn't get a bite, not really wanting to eat any more, while Spain tried to steal a bite from Chiara, who would hold the plate away from him while he whined, much like Dante. The idea hurt his chest a bit, considering what he knew.

* * *

They paid the bill after Chiara and Dante ate and then headed to the zoo. More specifically, they headed to _Zoo Aquarium de Madrid_.

"Tonio, why is it that you can go anywhere you want without having to pay?" Dante asked, this time making Lovino carry him and Chiara.

"Ah, I work in the government, and they let high government officials in wherever they want to go!" Spain lied, but in the minds of six year old twins, that made sense, so they easily nodded and accepted the explanation. Lovino subtly rolled his eyes. He knew the real truth, but he didn't let him know that fact.

"Are there wolves here?" Chiara asked as she looked around.

"Are there bulls?" Dante asked excitedly. Spain smiled at them.

"Well, we'll see now, won't we?" he told them. "There are 2,000 different animals here! There must be!" The twins gasped.

"That many?" they asked, awed as they had been for the duration of their day. Spain nodded happily.

"Yes, that many!" he told them. "Come on, let's go look around!" The twins nodded excitedly. Spain grabbed a map and started walking in one direction.

The twins looked at each animal for about ten minutes, cooing and talking excitedly about each of them. Lovino had to put the twins down soon enough as his arms began to get tired. They didn't mind, as they got to run around and look around for themselves.

"This is an aquarium too!" Chiara remembered after a while of walking around.

"Papà! Dolphins! Whales!" Dante exclaimed and began pulling on Lovino's hand.

"I don't think they have whales here, bambino," Lovino told him. "They do have dolphins though."

"Why don't they have whales?" Dante asked, puzzled.

"Whales are the largest mammal on earth," Lovino explained. "They would not be able to fit in aquarium tanks." Dante gasped.

"Whales are that big?" he asked. Lovino smiled and nodded.

"Yes, they are that big," he answered.

"Amazing…"

"I already knew that!" Chiara declared proudly. Lovino rubbed her head.

"Good job, Chiara," he praised. She beamed.

"Aquarium is this way!" Spain said and led them to the direction of the aquarium.

As with the land animals, Chiara and Dante 'oo'ed and 'aww'ed with all the creatures and spent about ten minutes on each one. They were amazingly fascinated with all of them, although Chiara stayed away from the sharks while Dante pressed his face right to the glass.

* * *

It took a long time before they finished looking at everything that they wanted to look at, and by then, the twins started complaining about how tired they were.

"Papà, Toni, are we going home now?" Dante asked. He and Chiara held their arms up to be carried. Lovino picked them up and sighed.

"Yes, I believe so," he told them. "Antonio?" Spain nodded.

"I'm getting tired too," he told them. "Let's get going. Oh, Lovi, I can hold one of them for you." Lovino nodded, and Dante held his arms out for Spain, who laughed and brought him into his arms.

"Alright, let's go."

They headed back to Spain's house, and on the ride back, the twins fell asleep. Lovino carried them both inside. He headed upstairs and placed them in the bed before going to take a shower. It took ten minutes, and then he went downstairs in only his sweats that he always wore to bed, finding Spain watching tv.

"The twins are asleep already," he told him, taking a seat beside him. Spain smiled softly, a clear contrast from the bright smile he wore throughout the day, and nodded.

"They should wake up soon for dinner, and then they'll probably go to sleep again," he said.

"What are you watching?" Lovino asked, looking at the TV. He didn't recognize the show, but he didn't really watch any television in the first place. Spain didn't either, and so he shrugged.

"I'm not really sure," he told him. "I think it's some criminal show."

"Those are popular," Lovino sighed. He had heard America freaking out over a few before. He didn't really see the big deal, but it seemed Alfred was really in touch with the things popular with teenagers. He wasn't surprised. Alfred was physically a teenager himself, if teenagers looked like buff, too-sexy-for-their-own-good blonds. Not that Lovino ever thought that.

"So are you going to tell me if things really are okay?" Spain asked, referring to the night before. Lovino rolled his eyes.

"I told you, nothing is wrong," he insisted. "Everything is perfectly fine. Stop worrying so much."

"I can't help it." Spain leaned his head on Lovino's shoulder and pressed a kiss to the side of his neck. He buried his face in the crook of his neck, and Lovino shivered a bit. "I really like you. I worry." Lovino sighed.

"Yeah, I can tell," he murmured. He didn't understand. How could he care so much if he didn't when he knew him better? Nothing made sense, but he wasn't going to trade this for that past. He was loved and with children now.

He and Spain stayed silent after that. They woke the twins up for dinner, but the twins quickly went to bed again, leaving the two on their own after that. Until Lovino decided to join the twins, he and Spain watched TV and switched cuddle positions every so often. It took quite a lot of effort to get Lovino to actually cuddle though. He was too embarrassed, as he usually was.

They ended up almost falling asleep when Lovino laid his head on Spain's chest with Spain's arms wound around his waist. The soft noise of the TV had lulled them into sleep, but Lovino quickly jerked awake, and that is when they decided to head to bed.

Lovino had a much better sleep that night.

* * *

The next day, Spain decided that they should go hiking. Lovino wasn't really one for hiking, as he was a man of fashion and cleanliness, not adventure in the outdoors. Unfortunately, the twins inherited a love for outdoor activities and practically jumped at the chance.

Lovino groaned as he hiked after his children and his boyfriend. It was only a mile hike, but it was mostly uphill and he absolutely hated it.

"Ughhh, where do you guys get this stamina?" Lovino complained. He knew that the twins were also rather lazy like him at times, but for some reason, they had better stamina and loved hiking.

"Papà, you're just slow!" Dante declared and went back to pull him along with them.

"You three are all just weird," Lovino grumbled. Spain laughed.

"Aww, Lovi, no need to be so bitter," he told him. He gave him a quick peck on the lips, saying it was for energy. Lovino used that energy to hit Spain on the head and call him an idiot. Of course, Spain was unaffected.

"This is going to take forever," Lovino whined.

"We're going jet-skiing after this!" Spain told him cheerfully. "I'm sure you'll like that!"

* * *

After an hour of hiking up, a half hour of exploring where they had stopped above a waterfall, and another half hour of hiking down, which was a lot faster than hiking up for some reason, they headed to the lake to jet ski.

They couldn't have four to a jet ski, unfortunately. Spain had wanted to feel Lovino's arms around his waist as he drove. Instead, Spain and Dante took one jet ski while Lovino and Chiara took the other. They couldn't go too fast, as Chiara and Dante were still children and were more prone to falling. They went slower than they would have liked, but it wasn't like they could leave the twins on their own.

"I'll race you to that rock!" Spain declared as he pulled up beside Lovino and Chiara after a few minutes of getting used to the jet skis. Lovino smirked.

"You're on," he said. "On three."

"Okay!" Spain agreed. "One…" Lovino sped off before Spain could finish counting. "That's cheating!" Spain spluttered and raced after him.

"All's fair in love and war!" Lovino called back after him, laughing as he felt the wind and water against his face. _They flirt so much…_the twins thought simultaneously. They still laughed along with the adults, liking going so fast in open air.

* * *

They spent two hours on the jet skis before heading home. They all had to take showers once they got to Spain's house, but the twins didn't want to. Lovino ended up taking a bath with them, as that was the only way to make them wash up.

The day ended similarly to how the day before had ended. The twins went to bed after dinner and left Lovino and Spain alone together until they decided to sleep as well.

This time, Lovino and Spain found themselves laying on the couch. Lovino laid on top of Spain with his head on his chest, while one of Spain's hands thread its fingers through his hair.

"Do you seriously have to leave tomorrow?" Spain asked, sighing. Lovino nodded.

"I have work, and the twins have school," he told him. "If I could, I would stay in Spain." That… sounded so wrong, honestly, and he couldn't help but blush. He wasn't supposed to know how wrong that sounded, so he hid the blush by burying his face in Spain's chest. Spain, for all his cluelessness, didn't notice.

"I guess…" Spain said, frowning a bit. "I would kidnap you and the twins if I could, but I'm not that cruel. I'll miss you though." Lovino scoffed a bit and looked up at him.

"I doubt you, of all people, could be cruel," he stated. Spain cracked a smile.

"You'd be surprised," he replied simply. Lovino knew, of course, but he also knew he wouldn't be purposely cruel to him. He hadn't done so before, even when Lovino was sure he didn't love him the way he wanted him to.

"Let's just take advantage of this last night," Lovino decided and leaned up to his seal his lips in a kiss.

* * *

The next day, Spain helped Lovino and the kids pack and he drove them to the airport. He helped them unload their bags and he gave Lovino a long kiss, not wanting him to leave. Lovino was the one to break the kiss, and he waved his goodbye as he headed inside.

"Bye bye Toni!" the twins called, waving along with their father. Spain waved as well, smiling at them.

He left once they were out of sight with a bit of an empty feeling in his chest.


	19. Chapter 18: One Year - October

_**Can emotions like fuck off thanks *I say as I am literally an emotionless robot like 98% of the time with no idea how to function in normal society***_

_**THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN THIS CHAPTER:**_

_**~ Umm, yeah, I'm so sorry (kinda)**_

_**~ I was sort of clueless on what to write in this chapter, so yay for possible unrealistic situations**_

_**~ So I kind of forgot about Feliciano and him being pregnant for some time so like yeah we get an update on that**_

_**~ Shorter chapter because there wasn't much to really write but it's longer than ten pages so whatever**_

_**~ Yeah sort of abrupt timeskips, sorry about that**_

**_~ You may end up hating me for this chapter_**

**_As always, please review and enjoy! Also, please point out any mistakes I've made. I haven't been paying much attention to my writing lately, so I probably made a shit ton of mistakes and said seven years instead of eight years or something._**

Chapter 18

Spain really liked Lovino, and that was a bit of a problem.

This has been a bit of a problem for… a long time.

It's been reiterated time and time again, but a nation could never fall in love with a human. (_Love? Who said anything about love? _Spain wonders, denying the feelings that have built up inside him the past few months) Unfortunately, Spain could already feel himself falling. Quite hard, in fact.

Not for the first time, Spain found himself wishing he was human.

During the first few years of being a nation, Spain was honestly ecstatic at the idea of almost immortality. Naturally, it was what everyone would want, at first. Then years went by and he realized that humans die, and he couldn't stay with them. He had to deal with all of this tragedy and war, and he hated it. He got tired of living, but he couldn't ever kill himself unless his country fell. Still, he had tried before, but for some reason he stopped after a while.

(He couldn't remember the reason for stopping. There was a blank slate in his memories, but he chalked it down to him being really old with too much information in his head. He just knew that, whatever it was, it made him so, so happy. Like how he felt with Lovino and the twins)

The point is, he felt himself wishing to be human once more. This time it was because he wanted to be able to love Lovino. He wanted to grow old with him and maybe become a second parent to the children.

Spain… really didn't understand how these thoughts had come to be in nine short months, but they had, and somehow, he had fallen hard for a protective, feisty (painfully _human_) Italian. He really, really liked him, and he honestly had no idea what to do about it now.

Actually, he did. He just didn't want to think about it. Unfortunately, he had to do this sooner than later, or else he would fall deeper and it would be too late.

Spain, otherwise known as Antonio Fernandez Carriedo to the humans, had to break up with Lovino Vargas.

Spain would have preferred to not have to break up. He would have been happy to find another solution, or even just become human in order to stay with Lovino, but he felt he had a duty to his country. Not to mention that he had a lot of nation that loved him and wouldn't want to have him leave them. In the end, he found that he had to choose his life as a nation over a chance at love with a human.

He wondered how he would go about it. He didn't want to just call Lovino and tell him over the phone. In the few months that they had been together, he found that that might be one of the worse ways to break up with Lovino of all people, especially since they hadn't seen each other for a month, as usual.

So Spain was stuck. Everyone knew he wasn't the smartest person, despite his odd talent for battles and strategies (although that talent flew out the window when he got really angry), so of course he had trouble deciding what would be the best course of action. He was the country of Passion; he had no idea how to break up with someone and not break their heart.

Okay, so Lovino never actually said that he loved him. A majority of the time, his words are, "You are an idiot," "Oh my fucking god you are so embarrassing," and "I fucking hate you" accompanied with a blush and a palm to his face. Spain always just smiled because he knew Lovino was simply embarrassed by whatever he had done and really did like him. It was almost like he already knew everything about him. For some reason, he felt nostalgic every time he thought about it, and then afterwards he would feel another headache coming on.

(_"Spain you bastard! You were gone longer than you said you would be!"_

"_Hahaha sorry -! I got a little distracted, but I got you something!"_

"_Hmph… I guess I'll forgive you…"_

_A brown dress and a cute pout, but he couldn't remember who it belonged to. What was this…?_)

After quite a long time of pondering and rolling around on his bed in pure agony, Spain realized what he had to do. A dark pit of dread settled itself in his stomach.

* * *

"Lovi~!" Spain sang into the phone, ignoring the guilt he felt and his own heart that felt about ready to break. Luckily for him, Lovino didn't notice the fake cheerfulness in his voice.

"Yes?" he answered with the same annoyed tone as he usually used.

"Open your front door!" he told him. He heard Lovino pause and the sound of a chair moving across the floor.

"You're outside my house, aren't you?" Lovino sighed.

"Nooo, of course not," Spain said, although he didn't even try to sound sincere. There really was no point if Lovino knew it anyway.

"You're an idiot."

The front door soon opened, and Lovino looked at him with a disapproving look on his face. Spain grinned back at him with that dopey, slightly love struck look on his face. It had been much, much too long since he had seen him, and he realized once again how beautiful he was. Not that he would ever tell him that. He had the strange feeling that Lovino would headbutt him if he told him that. (How he knew that, he had no idea, and he didn't want to get another headache thinking too much about it)

"Why are you at my house?" Lovino demanded.

"I can't surprise you with a visit?" Spain asked, pouting.

"No," Lovino responded bluntly. Spain fakes a look of despair and attempted to hug Lovino, but of course, he dodged as he usually did and let him almost fall to the ground.

"Lovi, you're so mean!" Spain huffed, quickly regaining his balance and dusting off the imaginary dirt on his clothes.

"Get to the point," Lovino said impatiently, tapping his foot. "You woke me from my nap. I wasn't supposed to wake up for another few hours when I have to pick the twins up."

"I did come here for a reason!" Spain declared.

"And that is…?"

"You'll see!" Spain didn't want to have to tell him yet. He didn't want to have to do anything at all, but he was already in far too deep. "So, I came here at this time specifically because I knew the twins wouldn't be here! I wanted to spend some time with you alone! I love the twins but since they're so young, we can't spend much time alone since you have to take care of them."

"Right…" Lovino rolled his eyes a bit. "Not much you can do here, moron, so I have no idea what you're expecting. I'm going back to bed."

"I'll join you!" Spain gave him a playful grin, watching as his face turned red and he glared at him.

"If you try anything, I'll kill you!" he threatened, and then began heading upstairs. Spain's grin widened. _That wasn't a no~,_ he thought happily, following him to his room. For the moment, he put his later plans to the back of his mind. He wanted to enjoy this time as much as he could.

"It's been forever since I've been in your room," Spain hummed happily as he entered said room.

"It's only been a month," Lovino muttered, still blushing lightly. Spain grinned and managed to surprise him in a hug.

"You're so cute!" he cooed, but then pouted once again as Lovino pushed him away with a huff and a glare. "Anyway, it's still been a long time! You're bed is really soft too!" He fell down onto the bed, happily snuggling into the mattress. Lovino rolled his eyes.

"You're an idiot," he sighed and sat beside him.

"Your idiot~," Spain sang and laughed as Lovino threw a pillow at him.

"Shut up!"

* * *

"Antonio…"

"Yes, mi amor?"

"'Mi amor'?"

"Eheheh… I mean, yes, Lovi?"

"My name isn't Lovi. Can you let me up?"

"Nah."

"Antonio."

"Nope."

"Antonio let me up."

"No can do."

"ANTONIO YOU BASTARD LET ME UP!"

Spain laughed and finally let go of Lovino, who sat up with a huff and a glare towards him.

They had somehow ended up with Lovino in Spain's arms, laying on his chest and allowing silence to overcome them. This was, of course, after a lot of coaxing and blushing on Lovino's part, but Spain was pretty satisfied with how it turned out. Unfortunately for Spain, it came time for Lovino to pick up the twins, so they had to get up. Not that Spain didn't love the twins, but Lovino was so cute lying on his chest like that, all peaceful…

"Are you just going to lay there or come with me?" Lovino asked, looking at him with an impatient look on his face. Spain scrambled to get up and nodded.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" he said. He did want to see the twins, after all. It was his last chance to show his love for all of them. He might as well make it worthwhile.

"Great, now get your shoes on," Lovino ordered as he headed downstairs. "The twins will definitely be surprised…" He sighed as Spain continued to grin happily, as he always did.

"I can't wait!" he chirped. He wondered where these acting skills of his came from.

(_He was so tired. He didn't want to deal with anything. War was exhausting and being a nation was tough._

_But he kept smiling. He had to. He didn't want to worry…_

_Worry…_

_Who?_)

* * *

"Ciao Papà!" the twins chirped as they hugged Lovino upon seeing him. Lovino hugged them back briefly before ushering them into the car.

"I have a little… surprise for you in the car," he told them reluctantly. The twins' eyes lit up excitedly and they hopped into the car.

"Hola!" Spain greeted from his place in the driver's seat. He had insisted on driving this time.

"Antonio!" the twins gasped.

"He decided to drop by for a surprise visit," Lovino said with a roll of his eyes, getting into the passenger's seat of the car.

"Yay!" the twins cheered. Spain managed to fake a smile. Of course they didn't notice, and neither did Lovino.

"I'll only be here for the day," he told them. "I'm leaving in the morning. Lo siento."

"Aww…" they pouted. "Okay…"

"But I will be spending a majority of the day with you three!" he exclaimed, trying to cheer them up. He wanted to make them as happy as he could before he left them. He began to lose his nerve as he saw the excited expressions on the children's faces. He didn't know if this was the right thing to do anymore, but he couldn't just let it go on. Lovino deserved some love before he left them.

The twins cheered happily, and Spain finally began to drive off.

* * *

"Alright, Antonio, spill," Lovino said suddenly, frowning as he turned to the man in front of him.

"What?" Spain blinked, not really understanding what he meant. Lovino crossed his arms over his chest.

Lovino had just put the twins to sleep with a short, sweet lullaby. Spain had played with the twins for a majority of the day, and he had also made them all dinner. Lovino had a lot of reason to be suspicious. He knew Spain, and while he was certainly just that kind, he also noticed that he looked rather strained. He didn't want to bring it up until the twins went to bed.

"Something's been on your mind all day," he elaborated. "I want to know what." Spain's attempt to seem relaxed utterly failed, and he sighed.

"I'm sorry…" he muttered. "I am really, really sorry…"

"What?" Now Lovino was the one confused. He didn't really know what he had been expecting, but he wasn't really expecting Spain to look so sad…

"Let's go out somewhere," Spain suggested suddenly. "I… I'll tell you there." Lovino looked at him suspiciously, but nodded slowly. They headed downstairs in forlorn silence, grabbing their jackets and putting on their shoes before heading outside.

Spain drove them both out to a small hill. Lovino noticed that his fingers would not stop tapping on the steering wheel, and he took a deep breath every once in a while. It worried him, and he began to dread that something horrible would happen…

"What is it?" Lovino asked as Spain helped him out of the car.

"Look at this!" he instead exclaimed, spreading his arms out as if to show off the beautiful scenery below them. "Look at all the lights! And how they reflect of the water! It's so pretty, right?" He grinned at Lovino, but he didn't look as if he was even trying to seem real anymore.

"Antonio, seriously," Lovino said, his voice beginning to sound irritated. "It is pretty, but why did you bring me out here?" Spain's smile dimmed and dropped, and his shoulder sagged again.

"I wanted to give you a good day before I had to do this…" he told him softly. "I also wanted to give the twins a good day too. That's why I surprised you. Lovino, I'm sorry but…"

"What?"

* * *

"…We're going to have to break up…" Spain carefully observed Lovino's face, trying to get any sort of reaction from him. All he got was a confused blink, so he tried to elaborate before the words fully registered in his mind and he became upset. "It wasn't anything you did, I promise!"

"How cliché…" Lovino muttered, but Spain kept speaking.

"I-it's just that I realize I can't be around you and the twins all the time, and my boss has been getting angry at me for not completing all of my work, so I can't be with you anymore," he continued quickly. "Please don't hate me! It's just that work a-and everything and-"

"No, I get it," Lovino cut him off. "I understand." Spain thought he saw a flash of something in his eyes, but he couldn't figure out what exactly it was in the split second that he saw it.

"D-do you?" he asked hesitantly. Lovino nodded, and Spain wished that there was at least something on his face to show what he was feeling. Even anger would have sufficed. He wanted to know just what Lovino felt so he could act appropriately.

"Let's just go back," Lovino told him, beginning to walk away from him back down to the car. "I'm still the only way you're getting home." Spain nodded, still a bit stupefied at Lovino's lack of reaction, and he followed him to the car.

* * *

A year passed after that, but Lovino couldn't really call it a blur. He couldn't afford to make it as though Spain was the only thing in his life. They hadn't even been together for the entirety of the year, even if he had known him for so much longer. The twins needed him, so he continued on as if nothing changed.

After Lovino bid Spain goodbye at the airport, he had a difficult time explaining the situation to the kids. They had grown attached to him, and so did not want to know that they would never see him again. They loved their father, but they were also kids, so they did what any child would do when they learned that someone they liked would not be around.

They threw a tantrum.

It took a long time to calm them down, as they hadn't thrown a lot of tantrums before. Lovino was at a bit of a loss, but eventually he managed to just hold them and they calmed down. He felt immensely guilty for having to tell them this, but he didn't control what Spain did. He did understand why Spain did what he did, but the twins had no idea.

After Lovino managed to fully explain everything to them, they stopped asking. They were only six, so Lovino assumed that they would eventually forget about Spain, or he would at least become that of a distant memory.

After a year, Lovino wasn't quite sure which was which. They never spoke of it, nor did they ever give any indication that they missed someone. Chiara never wore the dress that Spain had given her, but Lovino had never really gotten around to actually fixing it up. It brought up too many memories. Still, Chiara never asked, so Lovino put it in the back of his mind.

Life went back to normal, as if Spain had never changed anything.

* * *

"Fratellone," Veneziano's voice sounded from the other side of the call.

"Sì?" Lovino said, not pausing in his actions. "I'm busy, Feliciano. Can you call later?" He tapped his pen on his desk.

"If you were really busy, you would have just ignored me," Veneziano pointed out.

"I am doing paperwork," Lovino told him. "But I guess it can wait. Did you need something?" He looked at the date on the calendar.

October 27

"Are you going to Alfred's place in California for Halloween?" Veneziano asked.

"Where's California again?" Lovino asked.

"The East Coast," Veneziano answered.

"I don't know…" Lovino hesitated. "Would he be there?" Veneziano was silent for a few moments.

"Maybe…" he sighed. "How about just visiting me then? Alfred would understand. It's just… it's been so long since any of us have seen you." _After throwing a tantrum,_ Lovino thought with a small roll of his eyes.

"I guess that works," Lovino relented. "It has been a while… I've just been so busy lately. And the kids are growing up." They weren't old enough to start their rebellious phase yet, but they were beginning to ask for more things. Lovino was scared that they would grow up too fast.

"Yeah, I understand that," Veneziano said. "Annette has been growing up so fast, and soon Erika will be walking." His voice took on a fond tone as he spoke of his children. Lovino still felt a little disgusted at the fact that Feliciano had children with a German, and that German he used to hate, but he did love the kids. He could never hate children, even if they were Satan's spawn.

"How are they?" Lovino asked. "Happy I hope. I think Chiara and Dante enjoyed playing with them." Dante had to be stopped from being too rough with the children though. They were six years older than them and didn't quite understand why they had to be so careful. They just wanted to play with their cousins, since they had little interaction with anyone else.

"Oh, they're happy," Veneziano told him cheerfully. "They don't have to worry about nation duties for a long time!"

"When do you think they'll stop aging?" Lovino wondered. He wondered when the twins would have stopped aging if they were still human.

"Maybe around eighteen?" Veneziano hummed. "I'm not sure, but I think around then."

"Well, tell them their Zio Lovino says hi," Lovino told him. "I have work. I'll be around to visit you at some point."

"Okay! I'll see you then!" Veneziano bid him goodbye, and then Lovino hung up with a small sigh. He loved his brother, but speaking with him got a bit tiring sometimes. _At least he's happy,_ he mused.

Lovino hadn't liked being Romano. Seeing so much really did some things to him, but he had his family and friends with him, so he was able to endure. Looking back on it, he realized it might have been a really stupid move to stop being a nation because of Spain. Now, he was fine with not being a nation if it meant his children did not have to endure what he went through. He could ignore Spain for the time being so long as the children remained happy and innocent. Lovino wondered if Veneziano would be able to do that for his kids. _Probably not_, Lovino decided and then went back to work. Veneziano had so much more going for him than Lovino had.

* * *

October 31

"Chiara, Dante, hurry up!" Lovino called, slipping on his shoes at the bottom of the stairs.

"Sì, sì!" Dante stumbled down the stairs. "Papà, do you like this costume? Arrrrgh!" He grinned and waved his fake hook for a hand. He was dressed as a pirate. It sort of brought Lovino back to the old days, but he stopped that train of thought there.

"Yes, but you know you don't have to wear a costume," he pointed out.

"But I want to!" Dante exclaimed.

"Alright, now where's your sister?" Lovino asked, checking the time. "I told Zio Feli that we would be there by three."

"I think she's still putting on her costume," Dante told him.

"Papà, can you help me please?" Chiara called from her room, as if on cue. Lovino sighed and headed upstairs.

"Yes, Chi? What is it?" he asked, knocking on the door before peaking in.

"Papà, can you tie this for me?" She turned around, showing off the untied apron attached to the small maid's dress she wore. Lovino nodded and quickly tied it for her.

"That good?" he asked. Chiara nodded and smiled, giving him a quick hug as she thanked him. Lovino hugged her back and then ushered her downstairs so she could get her shoes on.

They were heading to Veneziano's house in Rome, since Veneziano had wanted them to visit. Since it was Halloween, the twins insisted on dressing up, even though they weren't going to a party or anything of that sort. Dante dressed as a pirate and Chiara dressed as a maid. Lovino had repaired his old dress for her, so they looked like the spitting image of him and Spain of the past, if Dante were taller and Lovino had been a girl. He still hated to think about it though.

* * *

They arrived in Rome around 3:30, so they weren't as late as they could have been. Dante and Chiara grabbed their small overnight bags out of the trunk as Lovino took the larger bags for them. They knocked on the door for him, seeing as he had a bit too much in his arms.

"Ah, Lovi!" Veneziano said cheerfully, opening the door for him. In his arms lay Erika, his youngest daughter. "Chiara! Dante!"

"Shouldn't you be a bit quieter?" Lovino said softly. "Erika is sleeping. That goes for you too, Dante." He looked down at his son, who pouted a bit.

"Yes Papà…" he muttered, kicking his legs.

"Why don't you go set up your bags in the usual room while I catch up with your Papà," Veneziano suggested. "You look very cute, by the way!"

"Thank you!" Dante chirped, beginning to head upstairs.

"I'm not cute!" Chiara protested, but was dragged away by her brother before she could say any more. Veneziano laughed softly as he watched them and looked at his former other half.

"They're just like you and Antonio…" he told him. Lovino frowned.

"Shut up…" he muttered. He left his luggage beside the door and headed to the couch, collapsing onto it and throwing an arm over his eyes. Veneziano frowned and gently set his youngest daughter in her crib before moving to kneel beside his brother in front of the couch.

"Fratellone, what's wrong?" he asked. Lovino sighed.

"Not your big brother anymore, Feli," he mumbled. "I'm just so tired, and I would really prefer it if you didn't mention Spain."

"Mi dispiace," Veneziano apologized. "But even if you aren't a nation anymore, you're still my brother. I had sort of been hoping that you would forget about, uhh, him though…" Lovino removed his arm from his face to look at him with a frown.

"How could I possibly forget about him?" he asked. "He was my boss a long time ago, and then I fell in love with him. And then I had kids with him, but he doesn't even know. Then I become human and for five years, I'm happy with the twins and then he comes back and he has the _audacity_ to actually like me! What the _fuck_?!" His voice had gradually risen in volume until he was almost shouting. He didn't want the twins to hear him, so he didn't shout.

"Romano, don't swear!" Veneziano gasped.

"Don't you fucking-"

"Lovino!" He was silenced by Veneziano's uncharacteristic shouting. Veneziano sighed. "Lovino, I'm sorry, but I'm just as used to calling you Romano as I am calling you Lovino. Eight human years are like a day to me. And as for swearing, Annette may be upstairs, but she might still hear you. I don't want her to start swearing." Just then, Erika began sobbing, and Veneziano sighed once more. He stood up to pick her up, beginning to gently rock her.

"Mi dispiace, Veneziano…" Lovino mumbled.

"It's alright, Lovi, but please try not to be so loud," Veneziano told him. "I only just got Erika to sleep a while ago." Lovino nodded a bit and Veneziano took this time to continue shushing his youngest daughter.

"I'm going to go check on the twins," Lovino said and stood up. He took a moment to stretch, and then began heading upstairs.

* * *

"Papà, do we have to change out of our costumes?" Dante whined, pouting as Lovino untied his shirt. Chiara was getting changed in a separate room.

"Yes, you do," Lovino answered. "You'll get them dirty if you don't." He sighed a bit and shook his head. "Why did you feel the need to dress up, anyway? We aren't having a party?"

"Dressing up is fun and it's the one day a year that I can!" Dante exclaimed, gesturing wildly. Lovino chuckled and gently grabbed his arms to hold him still.

"Sì, sì, now get changed into normal clothes," he told him, standing up and brushing off imaginary dust. "I'll be helping your zio prepare dinner. Don't wake Annette or Erika." He looked at him sternly, and Dante nodded.

"Sì Papà," he said. Lovino kissed the top of his head and then began heading downstairs. Once he was out of sight, Dante began getting undressed.

Once he was changed out of his proper clothes, he sat on the bed and kicked his feet, waiting for Chiara to come in so they could go downstairs.

"Dante?" Chiara called softly, knocking on the door. Dante's eyes brightened at the sound of his sister's familiar voice and he went to open the door.

"Dinner time now!" Dante cheered and grabbed her hand. He knew that they were probably getting too old for them to be so close, but he didn't care. He loved his sister, and he also liked seeing the small smile on her face when he protected her.

At school, the teacher would tell them to interact more. They had gained a few friends over time, but it was mostly Dante being as welcoming as usual. Still, when it came to it, Chiara and Dante were inseparable. Lovino seemed to think nothing of it, so they stayed as close as ever.

As they headed downstairs, the doorbell rang. Seeing as Lovino was cooking dinner and Feliciano was dealing with their cousins, Dante decided to answer it.

"Dante, Papà always says to get him first!" Chiara said, eyes wide.

"It's fine, Chi-Chi!" Dante told her cheerfully. "And Papà is busy! It can't be that bad!" He reached up to grab the doorknob and turned it, opening the door.

"Ciao fratel- hey you're not Vene!" an unfamiliar man that looked remarkably similar to their father and uncle exclaimed. The only difference was that he looked significantly younger and the trademark curl was more angular. "Who are you two? Annette and Erika aren't that old yet, and neither of them are boys either! At least, I don't think so? Do they have a concept of who they want to be yet?" Chiara and Dante blinked, not really registering what was being said.

"Who are you?" Dante asked.

"Ah, well, I am-!"

"Chiara, Dante, I told you not to answer the door before getting me," the voice of their father sounded behind them. They turned to smile innocently at Lovino as he stepped into view. "Who's at the door?"

"Fratellone?"

* * *

Lovino stared with wide eyes at the familiar face standing in front of him and his children. He hadn't seen him in so long, and he didn't really think that he would. He tended to remain independent from himself and Veneziano, so he didn't think he would miss him all that much.

Still, there was one question…

"Fratellone, where have you been?!"

Why did Seborga remember?


	20. Author's Note - Decisions

**_Yeah, yeah, dreaded author's note, blah blah blah._**

**_Ok so quite honestly, I'm not much into Hetalia anymore. I'm kinda just stuck in an eternal void with nothing to do and the fandom that I'm really into rn is like dead since it ended already so I'm just stuck. For the most part, I've been writing novels, getting into video game fandoms, and stalking ao3._**

**_But anyway, I do like writing Nostalgia, I'm just incredibly bad at deadlines and since I'm not much into Hetalia, it's kind of hard for me to actually become interested in it. The way I see it, I have three options here:_**

**_1\. I can just discontinue this, which I don't really want to do because I do have an ending planned out and I did want to finish it so I wouldn't disappoint everyone. (Not to mention a few certain people will get really pissed off at me and I might end up killed on school grounds...)_**

**_2\. I can continue writing from where I've left off. This way is easier and faster since I've gotten about halfway through the plot, but since I started writing this like two years ago, my writing has definitely changed. EDIT: Ok, so there seems to be a misunderstanding. By different, I mean infinitely better, and that's why I'm kind of unsure of this because abysmal writing in the beginning doesn't really make people want to read and will probably make me want to cringe more than I already do._**

**_3\. I can completely rewrite this and prioritize it over the other things I've been meaning to rewrite. I have a lot of Hetalia fics I promised to rewrite, but I'm not sure if I'll get around to those. I want to focus on this if I do so, because I have the plot planned out and the writing would be a lot more consistent, but again, there are pros and there are cons._**

**_Tell me what you'd like me to do and I'll take them all into consideration. Reasoning would be appreciated so I can think about them more clearly._**

**_Thank you for all the continued support!_**


	21. AN and what would have happened

_**By now, you've probably realized that I'm not going to be updating this again. The reasons are pretty straightforward: When I wrote this, I was like, twelve, and my writing was soooo bad and I can't deal with that anymore; I never even liked mpreg in the first place?; I'm not even into Hetalia anymore; I don't even use this website anymore and posting fics on here is so much more complicated anyway. Any fics I do write are for book fandoms anyway, and maybe one or two yoi or ons or twewy fics, and they won't be posted here.**_

_**If, for some reason, you actually **_**like ****_this story, I figured I owed y'all an explanation. If you'd like to know what I'd planned after all this, then keep reading. If not, then just feel free to leave with my explanation in mind. Again, I don't plan on writing any Hetalia fics again nor do I plan to post anything on here again._**

**_So, without further ado, here's what I'd planned on:_**

**_~ Seborga gets his explanation of why Romano became Lovino and he becomes a doting uncle on Chiara and Dante_**

**_~ Spain is very, very confused when he drops by Lovino's place and finds Seborga OR Seborga interrupts one-too-many dates and Spain gets suspicious_**

**_~ Spain continues getting headaches and flashes of _****something ****_but he doesn't quite know what this _****something ****_is_**

**_~ Enough memories surface the more Lovino hangs out with Spain to the point where Spain wants to know why Lovino was in his past and why Lovino never told him_**

**_~ Lovino avoids Spain for a while, but Veneziano gets impatient and essentially forces the two to talk_**

**_~ Lovino explains that he was once a nation but isn't anymore and it takes more prodding on his friends' parts to get him to explain Chiara and Dante_**

**_~ Spain doesn't get all his memories back but it definitely sounds right to him so he believes him and he feels really, incredibly upset at having made Lovino so sad that he decided to stop being Romano_**

**_~ Somehow Canada finds a way to get Spain's memories back without Lovino becoming a nation again (which is a thing they already know how to do) but then Lovino decides "no I want to be a nation again"_**

**_~ With Lovino becoming Romano again, Chiara and Dante become nations too (well, Sicily and Madrid but whatever)_**

**_~ The nations that didn't know suddenly get their memories back and are like "wtf Romano"_**

**_~ Epilogue flashes years forward and Chiara and Dante let themselves age up to, like, sixteen to nineteen, idk_**

**_~ Chiara is completely and totally aromantic/asexual and she acts so much like Romano with more of a regard for following the rules but she looks more like Spain while Dante is definitely more like Spain personality-wise but with Romano's language and he's totally bi and in love with a boy he met in Rome_**

**_~ What would happen is Dante either tells the boy that he's a nation and gives him the option of becoming a nation with him or he becomes human to be with him, I never decided_**

**_~ Either way, Romano and Spain (happily married with very little chance of ever getting divorced like a lot of nations) completely support his decision_**

**_(I am way too used to going on tumblr hc rants wow) So yeah, that's essentially what I'd had in mind. Um, that's about it, I think. I won't be on here anymore if at all unless I feel like posting a twewy one-shot or something on here for whatever reason._**

**_With that said, I'm actually pretty flattered with the responses I got when I first wrote it. As a thirteen year old (I think I was thirteen) that definitely meant a lot and it helped me grow because I kept writing since people actually liked it. Thank you for the endless support back then, and special thank you to the people I met last year who were blown away by the fact that I was the author. It did mean more than you could ever know to me, and I'm sorry we don't acknowledge each other anymore. ^^;_**

**_Thank you, I love you all, and this is the end. I'll leave this up, but it will be considered complete from now on._**

**_-Heaven's Dusk_**


End file.
